Kingdom Hearts 4: The Realm War-Act I (The Conqueror's Coming)
by Custode delle chiavi
Summary: After the defeat of Xehanort and his 12 Hearts of Darkness, the 7 guardians-Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Ventus, King Mickey-and their allies enjoyed a period of peace. That peace would not last long, though, as Masters Yen Sid and Eraqus received a disturbing report from an old ally long thought dead...someone with connections to someone that no one could have seen coming...
1. Introduction

Light and darkness…

Balanced in nature…yet unbalanced by man…

They are meaningless…and yet they are all that exist to us…

To see, to feel, to know both…means nothing…

A constant battle amongst them and their followers…but the true war lies in the heart…

…as it always did…

Every story has its origins…and sometimes those origins are unbeknownst to the eyes of us, especially those concerning our young hero, who has woven his own tales through the course of his young lifespan. Battling through the greatest threats his enemies threw at him and his companions was no easy task, but he pulled through, and was eventually reunited with his friends…until a letter from the king sent him on a quest to find those lost to the darkness, to which he and Riku went to be tested to become true Keyblade Masters…yet, one can wonder:

Why Sora?

What makes this young man terrific at was he does best? Is it by a mere coincidence that the Keyblade chose him instead of Riku directly (who as we know was chosen as Terra's successor)? Is it just by luck's hand that he prevailed over his adversaries in a quest to save the world and stall the darkness's advance? Was it being the guardian of Ventus's heart that granted him the Keyblade's trust and powers...or is it something more? Something this gives an exact explanation of why and how Sora, Riku, Kairi, and their associates prevailed against the more horrific of the darkness's minions? Even when he failed the Mark of Mastery, he bore no shame to his defeat, which guides the way to my next questions:

Why am I asking this?

Who am I?

Let it suffice to say that I am not of great importance to this narrative; yet without me, this tale may never have been told to the truth, and truth is always by opinion rather than fact these days, but not for me. I am cursed to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the absolute truth. As to my identity, I go by many names, but I do not want to procrastinate this tale any further, so the title that most describes my…existence… would be _**The Watcher**_, one who gets around enclosed spaces and extracts key intelligence about certain…topics…without a single sound stirring any attention. My methods are-at best-extraordinary in achieving universal peace...though I suppose these days peace is belittled by the boundaries of "seekers"….

Anyway, if you believe that Sora's origins are unimportant-you are regrettably incorrect. Let me pose a question: Why do you think Sora has succeeded in all his trails of pain and anxiety? No doubt your answer will go along the lines of "because he's a hero, he can't die, he's too good; he has a badass weapon and companions...and so on and so forth." While all statements do uphold the basic truth, the latter being no exaggeration, they all fail to comprehend the very nature of Sora's power...let only his beginnings.

"How?" you undoubtedly entreat.

I believe the only way to recite the story would be to go back in time for a time…when brave men and women struggled day and night to quench the bloody rage of settling betrayals…

Let us take a journey back in time long after the Keyblade Wars reached its conclusion, well before Xehanort found Ventus, and some who were waiting in the mist for the first hammer of war to strike…

Where love and ultimate sacrifice carved the very crater between darkness and light…Much happened before the events of Master Xehanort, Vanitas, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus…

Shall we initiate?

Let the Tale of The Realm War commence!

* * *

All Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy Characters are owned by Square Enix. All Disney Characters are owned by Disney. Only the original characters (Alnor, Anlor, Vasqueon, The Keeper, etc) are all my characters. Enjoy the story!


	2. The Birth

_**The Birth**_

_How much longer is this going to take?_

This thought kept creeping up on young Alnor every time he glanced back at the door. The doctors have told him it would only take a few hours-which it _wasn't_- so he had good reason to believe all was not proceeding as she had foretold him. A good thing only he, she, and those "acclaimed" physicians knew of the present events and the magnitude of power balanced it would unleashed should this become publicly known.

The youthful fellow was about 25 at the time. Slender built, quite handsome, and in possession of an attitude the size of a mountain. If things were not going as he planned, it would not be a wise to be within his reaching radius. A bronze Keyblade slung at his belt, decorated in fantastic symbolic display. He wore a silk shirt and leggings, with bronze boots, overlapped by a light hooded cloak. One could see he was battle bred, yet a more educated eye could see the ferocity he wielded to strike his opponents down.

His nerves were starting to get the better of him.

_If those blasted medicine men don't come out here and explain to me what the devil's going on in that chamber, I swear I'll-_

His thought were interrupted as the iron-cast door swung outward and a doctor, bearing gloves in one hand came out and approached the ecstatic male.

"WELL?!" exclaimed the warrior.

The doctor sighed heavily as if he had been jogging for hours. Then, in a sober tone:

"I believe, sir, that the appropriate answer I can offer you is-."

A small cry close by stopped him.

The doctor wasn't able to complete his line as Alnor burst in front of him and stared down the center of the chamber. He gaped. His throat constricted.

At the middle end of the chamber lay a gorgeous female in a decorative bed surrounded by physicians. She wore only a pink dress. She was cradling a newborn child in her arms.

"Come in, my dear. He won't bite." said the woman in a tenderly, tired manner.

The young man turned to the doctor, hugged him, and slowly stepped towards his wife.

"May we have a moment alone, please?" she addressed to the physicians.

One by one they exited, the last one closing the door behind him. Alnor knelt next to her, tears swelling up his face. He was a father. He knew the child could either tear the universe apart or unite it in harmony. He didn't care about the future now. Now, he was a father.

"Its-it's a boy, then?" he requested finally.

"Yes…what do we call him?"

"Vasqueon, I believe we agreed that you would name him."

"Please tell me this is NOT what it seems to be before my eyes." said a strong and aggravated voice-a voice Alnor knew all too well.

Both turning to their left, at the doorway leading to the upper balcony of Vasqueon's chambers, there stood a figure dressed in silver, carrying a great staff. His features were nearly identical to Alnor. This was because the figure was Alnor's twin brother, Anlor, a wizard well renowned throughout the universe. He silver-coated eyes gazed directly at his twin, snarling in the process.

"Anlor, I-this-uh…Look, I'm sorry, alright? You of all people knew what would had happened if this become known." Alnor said as calmly as he could.

The wizard, ignoring his brother's plea, slightly turned his head to meet the child gaze. Automatically, as the mother soon saw, the boy happily cried toward him, not at all knowing the power the stranger possessed. He harbored a light chuckle in return.

"Life is precious, even if the life is placed in an unbalanced deck of cards…Alnor," he started off very solemnly, sighing. "While I am quite awkwardly but somehow greatly appreciated of being an uncle, you realize what the next step in this plan is."

You're probably confused up to this point. I think a **_VERY_** detailed explanation is in order.

You see, Alnor, back then, was part of an order headed by his and Alnor's older brother, Caldnor, namely the Great Order of Unity, dedicated to preserving the balance of the universe, after the rapid decline of Keyblade Wielders. It would take days to explain all the rules, but namely the most important include the fact that no member chosen to join may wed or be in marriage during their time in service (so you can see how much trouble he can get into). After a certain skirmish with pirates somwehere closes to the world Radiant Garden, Alnor was seriously wounded and went adrift in space. As fate would have it, he landed upon the doorstep of the Bastion of Enchantments, where Vasqueon preceded. She was the current monarch of all magic users: she descended from the founding fathers of Magic. When the scouts brought the injured youngster to her throne, she surveyed him with a suspicious yet interested force. He observed her as if she had a radiance brighter than all the suns combined (which many believed so as he did). Of course, as beautiful as she was-long red hair, blue eyes, and body that would make the blackest hearted of men turn heel-she was nearly a thousand years old. Her vows of magic usage prohibited her of any emotional relationship what so ever (so now you can so how much trouble she could get into). Besides, what chance could a mere 24-year-old warrior and an ancient beauty of enchantments have at love?

It turns out quite a good chance.

While he was invited to stay and tend to his wounds, they always found themselves watching the sunset from her balcony. As any rumor would birth, gossip arose from the chambermaids and magicians about the pair. Even her priests expressed severe caution to her if this...um…"ron de vu" persisted. She dismissed it all, claiming it was an act to ascertain the true nature of the newcomer. In truth, she was flattered by his presence. Never in all her vast centuries had she discovered a creature as brave, ambitious, and overzealous as he. Step by step they began to fall in love, and one night…well, I think the big picture is assembled enough here. When he recovered enough and return to his companions, they secretly communicated via thought process through the months.

While the rest of his order was overjoyed by his return, Caldnor and Anlor (though he was not a member but an advisor) got too suspicious. He had been gone too long, Caldnor thought, and Anlor knew how his former mistress's entrancements could snatch any men living in every dark corner of the universe, and felt worried that his brother may have gotten attached to her. Caldnor had to agree; he knew Vasqueon's abilities. Both questioned her about the time Alnor spent in her care; she denied it swiftly and was even enraged at Anlor at how he could even think about something so "atrocious." Caldnor did not question Her Majesty's rebuttal, but Anlor was convinced something happened. His worst fears became reality when Vasqueon sent word that she was "ill" and Alnor disappeared one night. The nexy day, as is the current setting, everything came into full circle.

Anlor sighed and looked directly into Vasqueon's blue eyes, a sad look on his face.

"My lady, why did you no tell me of all people?! My brother's concern is understandable, as much of a brainless twit as he is (to which Alnor scuffed), but me? Why did you lie to me?!"

"My old friend, I'm surprised your gift of foresight did not examine this possibility."

"My powers aren't infinite, just formidable. Still, you should have informed me at least-or don't you trust me anymore?!" Anlor questioned quickly.

"I didn't know who to trust then. I'm sorry, my old friend."

Anlor seem unsatisfied by the answer. "Is there a reason I do not know of yet that merits you both to keep-"

As the infant cried again, a bright light flashed in the room and two men stood at the origin. One was Master Yen Sid, a former colleague of Vasqueon's. The other was Caldnor. Both viewed the baby, her, and the father with extreme care, ignoring the other visitor Anlor.

Yen Sid spoke first.

"What did you say earlier, Lord Caldnor? We had no right to question Great Highness on the basis that this would happen at all?" pointing at the boy.

"Anlor—Brother, is this-_your son_-I see before me?" he demanded, a hint of rage developing, utterly letting his companion's words buzz away.

"If you think, Caldnor, that for one minute you are going to deny me this boy as mine own, you will have the fight of your life right here and now." He proudly swore as he rose up and created a "life in the sand" between the exhausted mother and Caldnor.

Yen Sid and Anlor both looked directly at the aged combater, waiting for his next move.

Caldnor seemed as cool as a cat surprisingly.

"If this threat you are engineering is to have any value whatsoever, wouldn't your Keyblade been drawn about now?" He asked.

Alnor's teeth clenched a bit, his fingers exercising.

"I love you dearly, brother, but nothing you and Anlor conjure will ever take this away from me. Yes, I broke our oaths, but who ever said fate and chance were allies?" Anlor articulated very clearly.

"Alnor, please-I don't think violence is the answer here." Vasqueon insisted to her groom.

"I most certainly agree." spoke the sorcerer briefly. "And if I may, Alnor-without you causing any more stress here than was is necessary—and before an unnecessary bloodbath erupts in this room-it is the opinion of me, Anlor, and Caldnor that it would be best for us not to take action against you on this…" he paused, seemingly pleased at the recipient's intrigued expression. "…but rather that you must take action."

"Wh-What?" inquired the warrior. "Anlor, you said that you and they—"

"We didn't. Well, I did, but Anlor was not swayed to object the queen. So in case this event was true, I persuaded him and my good friend here to take the appropriate steps to better overcome this crisis."

Caldnor looked at Anlor, who nodded, then at Yen Sid, who repeated, then said to Alnor:

"While we cannot change what has transpired here in this room, and the knowledge of the very few about this event, we have come to terms that it would be best for the offspring _not_ to die, but rather to _live-_away from both of you, regrettably."

Silence became the theme after that statement, but soon Alnor broke it.

"Am I to understand that you, my brother, have come to terms with the unexpected birth of your nephew, yet insist that _I _have to send me away from this life? Caldnor, you are-"

"Alnor, what other choice do you have?!" demanded the wizard. "The Order cannot know of the boy's existence, and if he should follow in your blood, the Keybladers could go upside down. They haven't recovered after all this time; if they find out who he is. They will no doubt assume he will have your abilities, which he might not. Xehanort might even get involved. You of all people should know that."

"You don't that. _None_ of us can. Not even you, Anlor."

"Maybe not, Alnor, but you left Xehanort when he asked you to stay."

"Caldnor! You called; I responded. I still fulfilled my duties as a Keyblader, just in a different position. Besides, something about Xehanort-the day I left was the last time I saw the man who trained him for 10 years, not soon after he began his mad quest for power."

"His heart has been led astray, I fear. Hopefully it will be roooted back up to ots proper place." assured Yen Sid.

"You don't know him like I do, Yen Sid. He is falling."

"Enough of this! Xehanort is the least of our worries now. We have _this_ crisis to attend to. The possibility I stated still stands tall, brother. Either accept the compromise that has been brought forth, or stay to your stubbornness and ignite a whirlwind of turmoil that will resonate throughout all the known lands."

"You know it's the only thing to do." spoke Yen Sid.

"You brought this upon yourself. You could not deny the feelings you possess for Vasqueon, and for her, vice versa. See reason, Alnor. Do this for the right ones as well as the necessary ones." stated Caldnor.

Alnor eyes turned cold to his blackmailers. "Who deems this _right_? You three or the world?"

Perching his lips before speaking, Caldnor retorted, "Brother, please. Do you really want this to go south? Do you want the boy to suffer? I am not threatening at all; I have no inclination to cause such miserable to Her Excellence or yourself. You—well, I should say both of you caused this. Forbidden love is too great a craving to ignore, I suppose-caused this; will you fix it?"

His eyes softening and his facial expression with it, Alnor turn his head over to Vasqueon, who was observing the discussion and her newborn.

"My darling, what do you think?"

Small tears began to swell up on her lovely face.

"Master Yen Sid, is there no other way to veil his life?"

"I'm afraid not, my lady, though we all wish there was."

"Vasqueon, I've always respected your decisions. Please respect ours." said Caldnor as if a father talked to his daughter.

The queen cradled her child even closer. Alnor knelt next to her again.

"Dear," she began quietly. "We both know we have to…" She continued to pout.

Running his fingers threw his loose locks, he grunted vigorously.

"Vasqueon…I…I can't do this…I can't…"

"You _must_. Do you really want _them_ to take the boy?! I'm already weak as it is, and I won't lie her allowing that scenario to emerge victorious...This has to be done."

"But Vasqueon-"

She placed two fingers on his lips.

"You have to take our child away. I want him to live with us, but the cost is something that can never be paid. Ever….please, Alnor. Do this for me. For them….if not, for his sake." She said as she indicated to the infant in his arm.

Alnor thought long and hard.

"Brother, what is your verdict?" said Anlor.

His twin stood up, apparently his mind in firm position. Looking only at the baby, small tears sliding down his cheeks like waterfalls, he answered:

"For the sake of the worlds, of my wife, and my son, as well as in response to your request…I… will…concede."

A deep sigh came from Yen Sid. Anlor nodded, and Caldnor put a hand on Alnor's shoulder.

"Is it possibly to spend a few last moments with him, here, with all of us, before I part?"

Caldnor nodded. "I don't think that's unreasonable."

"Perhaps some time before the hard part can be permitted." said Anlor.

And so, they all gathered around the magic queen, each cradling the infant, talking and laughing a bit.

When the time came, Alnor's courage seemed to drain.

"Only you can do this." repeated Vasqueon, handing him the infant.

Going to the balcony with the baby boy, Caldnor asked, "Brother, where will you take him?"

Looking behind him, before a copper light engulfed him, he smiled and said:

"Where his destiny will be in his hands."

When he vanished, Caldnor looked oddly at his young brother.

"You don't suppose he's taken him to—"

"There? No, he's not that careless. No, I sense he will lay the child's fate on a world much suited for his future establishments."

"Which would mean what, my friend?" asked the sorcerer.

"Wherever he takes the child, the boy's fate will be his own. He will decide how his mark on life there and around him shapes who he is and what he stands for. " The sorcerer silently agreed at the comment's end.

Just then, Vasqueon started to gasp for breath. Anlor and the sorcerer ran to her side, yelling for help, while Caldnor just stared dead on at the setting sun…

…Then a thought came to his stern mind: _What is the child's name?_...


	3. Identity Undisclosed

_**Identity Undisclosed**_

The sunrise of Destiny Islands was a sight worth seeing a hundred times over.

Alnor landed softly on the sandy grounds of the world his youngling would soon endure on for his whole life hopefully (which we know is not the case). Choosing this paradise was easy, since the events of outer worlds lay dormant to the eyes of the islanders. Still, the warrior knew his bloodline lived strongly in the boy, and the chances that he should be chosen by the Keyblade were beyond good, so it would be some time before any darkness would "feel" his presence.

Alnor also came here because he knew two people who resided on the island across the one they were on now. The man was a former warrior he fought with in earlier campaigns before he retired due to extensive injuries on his back, and his wife was Alnor's 3rd cousin. Both had good hearts, and his cousin could not give birth, so the opportunity presented itself to Alnor naturally.

For a long moment, though, Alnor reconsidered the decision he was about to commence upon.

_Is this right? Should I allow my son to live a life without his true family?...but I have to. To protect him. If his destiny should reflect mine, then time will show its deck and challenge my boy to choose what his heart tells him so. Whether or not he bears the Mark is up to the Keyblade…or should by some fortune Keybladers should come here and find him…his life should be happy, away from the spreading evil that devastates the worlds beyond here. Hopefully it will, and he'll find good friends here. I wonder if this is the same place where Taxon left…hmm…maybe. Maybe…_

Looking at his son for the last time, he said slowly, passionately, and sweetly:

"I love you, my son. May the coming years shape you into a better man than I only dreamed of…"

After he gave the child his name, he then cast a spell that sent the infant to sleep and, knowingly but regrettably, eradicated his entire memory. Tears showered down Alnor's cheeks, but the deed was done for his son's sake.

_If you should ever find out the truth, the real truth about who you really are, then I will be the one to clear it up for you…That is a promise, my son._

A small raft stood not far for his location, apparently abandoned by kids obviously playing on the opposite side of the island. Alnor gently laid the boy in the raft's center by the flagpole, wrapped him in silk from a pouch, and pushed it out to the open water. Before it reached about 30 feet, Alnor cast another spell on the child:

"May those who find this child take them in as their own, and let the created memory of him being a part of this place for a long while stay permanent even until the world's ending."

Before departing, he felt a slight wind gust tickle his face. Smiling fondly, he gazed a final time at the far way raft and stated clear and fairly soft:

"May the stars be your guide and the wind be your shield, my son…."

With that declaration, he left, never to return again.

* * *

When Alnor returned, he saw something no husband should ever have to see: he saw Vasqueon, his forbidden bride, dying. The doctors were doing their best, but their best was useless. The birth of Sora had sapped every last bit of strength she had.

"No…no. No, **NO!**" he cried. Caldnor and Yen Sid restrained, while Anlor used his powers to try and save her, with no avail. As life was nearly ebbed out of her, she beckoned for Alnor to come.

"My dear…I am…so sorry…"

"No! Don't do this to me, Vasqueon! _DON"T YOU DARE!"_

"Alnor…I haven't time…to argue…Listen, you buffoon…Listen well." Through small coughs and gags, she explained to Alnor what he must do to keep the worlds from falling into darkness should the GOU ever fail. She did this while Anlor prayed for her passage into the next world, Caldnor shook his head and Yen Sid stood sad and defiant.

"Alnor…one more...thing. What is…his name?"

He told her the name softly, without letting the others eavesdrop. He giggled, thanked him, and passed into the void. Alnor cried to the wind, cried for life to return to his beloved, but his pleas went unanswered. His brothers and the sorcerer tried to comfort him, but with no success. No one besides them ever knew the truth of that day.

After a good hour or so, Alnor's disbelief of his wife gone began to settle in...painfully still, but with acceptance.

"Brother, I don't believe you told us...what is your son's name?" inquired the twin.

The warrior paused his inconstitent sobbing and looked directly at the four. "If I tell you, you must swear to be, to the essence of Kingdom Hearts itself, that you will never reveal his name to anyone. _ANYONE._ I, alone and only me, will bear the burden to tell him the truth...should he ever discover it. If he doesn't, that fine as well. Better I be forgotten, drift into a relic dream, so his life will be without compromise and despair."

"Why must you put so much on yourself, Alnor? You are not alone."

"In this matter, Caldnor...in this, I am alone and nothing else. I am his true father. This truth is my curse...if you want to know who he is...what he might become...then you must swear to me what I have asked of you all."

Their looks to each other consisted of worry, discomfort, and necessaity. If the truth was ever revealed at that time...

"I believe I will speak for everyone here," began Caldnor, his statement floowed by nods of approval. "We concur to your terms. We swear upon our lives and the essence of the Heart of All Worlds, our lips can not disperse the truth of this and his identity."

"Good." Alnor said flatly.

"So...what did you name him?" Yen Sid wondered.

The Keyblader Wielder, the hero of a thousand battles, the love of the last monarch of the arcane arts, rose from his deceased bride, sighed heavily, and without turning said:

"His name...my son's name...is..."

* * *

When Vasqueon's passing went public, mourners from all worlds gathered in their respectable town squares and other public places to pay tribute to the last Queen of Magic. The GOU never suspected anything unusual between Vasqueon and Alnor, but Caldnor knew the truth, and quietly blamed Alnor, as Alnor did himself, but not Anlor, for her death. In time, things slowed and stabilized, and when Eraqus questioned Yen Sid on the "truth" of events, Sid had sworn not to disclose it until such a time as Alnor was willing to press about it. Eraqus reluctantly agreed, a growing concern for things to come crafting in his heart. Xehanort took no regard to this tragedy; he and the queen had never been on the same page about knowledge for years. Time tended to be silent and uneventful, but betrayals and a universal crisis are rare to avoid…


	4. Keeper's Log: Entry 1

**_Keeper's Log: Entry_ 1**

_Day 4: 2nd hour, 45th minute. Location: Orbiting Moon of Twilight Town_

It has come to pass: Master Xehanort is no more.

For too long that tyrannical old hoot has sought knowledge and power that was never his for the taking; Kingdom Hearts is not property or an energy source, but the living heart of all life. The X-Blade was meant to guard it against those who would seek all its wonder, not harness it for purposes of strength.

The 7 guardian lights-the 7 Keybladers chosen to fight against the tide of Xehanort-prevailed in ways I cannot begin to ascertain as to how they did it. I have seen much in my service as the Keeper of Keys, The Bearer of Knowledge, The Wielder of Dark Fire, but their feats are beyond a doubt the most impressive I have ever seen from Keybladers, self-taught or not.

The three old ones-Terra, Aqua, Ventus. It is good to see them safe and out of Xehanort's influence. They will help in the recovery of the Order. They must.

King Mickey is still one to rush off into the fight without thinking twice. His bravery does not lack merit, but royalty rarely cures pride.

The princess Kairi-her elegance with a Keyblade are matched only by the force of her heart. She will no doubt make a fine Master one day, following in Aqua footsteps. She must not be led astray into glory; too many young wielders have fallen into that dreaded chasm already.

Riku...his resistence to darkness...his quest to recover something of importance...strength to protect what matters...never all my vast years have I witnessed and marveled at a man who has endured what would drives lesser man-if not better-to insanity's brink and come out stronger than ever and stay true to his vows. He will require more observing...his darkness is tamed...for the moment...

And finally, the Hero of Light, the Pursuer of Goodwill, friend to most and enemy to some. Sora...2 years ago, I questioned the Keyblade's judgement on Sora, even if it went down the last due to Riku's chose...I see as clear as glass now why it did so. He will not back down from a fight that threatens either him or his comrades. he will help those who need it-and deserve it.

His powers are magnificent...but I am fearful...Xehanort was once like him, and he let it go to his head too often, and his heart succumbed to his blossoming madness. All power is poisoned with corruption, and the cure comes either too late or in insufficient quantities. Sora must continue his vigilance; heroism, left unchecked, is a stepping stone to darkness.

I have let all these past transactions of now and yester go on without my interference because I have felt my assistance would garner...too many questions. When a troubling situation arises that requires my expertise, only then shall my presence be worthy for them to look upon and ask for guidance.

I must go now...the hour is late...

And so is The Watcher...


	5. Hidden Darkness

_**Hidden Darkness**_

On a distant moon far outside the reaches of Twilight Town, a figure in a cross-legged position looked upon the run-of-the-mill world. The man, though man he looked he was far older but not a servant to the darkness, wore a three-piece velvet cloak that enabled camouflage, along with two steel bracers designed with precision and elegance, a shoulder guard depicting a gold lion, and as a choice weapon a long staff of ancient material, carved with patterns of love, loss, and hope. The staff bore a Keyblade-design for its main blade.

The man's name was The Keeper. It was not his birth name; he gave up all rights and privileges to who he was a very long time ago after an accident he was the preliminary cause of dragged a dear friend of his to the gates of death. Now he served as the legendary Keeper of Keys, a most ancient title given to the bearer of knowledge dating back to the X-Blade and beyond, though he was under strict rules not to share such knowledge unless one truly worthy of his loyalty and true to his heart for the benefit of all came to him. As was such, no one had been born made his mark on the world to be given such an audience, and even his own legend had drifted in myth. That is until now…maybe.

He had closely been watching the events of a few young Keybladers over the span of 13 years. He sensed a dark conflict of arms creeping up on the worlds, and it was growing ever stronger. Even though they had stopped the wretched plans of Master Xehanort (someone the Keeper knew all too well—a story for a later time, perhaps), he felt a guised peace across the cosmos. When tyrants fall, new ones rise. Such is the way of power and life.

Somewhere, even though the marvelous deeds the Keybladers did and endured through was nothing short of miraculous and extraordinary, worried thoughts installed themselves into his vast mind.

_There is a hidden darkness in all the lands…I am sure of it. But its source…_

Those thoughts were cut short as the presence of an ally illuminated himself to the Keeper. It was me, The Watcher, an entity of souls taking the form a navy blue colored apparition.

The Keeper sharply muttered, "You're late. Report."

I bowed as I do when I always meet with him. "As you have predicted,

They are all currently at Yen Sid's Tower. Would it not be unwise to—"

"No. Not at the moment. It would harbor too many questions. 'Who am I?' 'What am I?" Why haven't I helped out before?" How would I respond?"

"Truthfully as always, Keeper. Didn't someone once tell me 'The truth is always right?"

"I believe I added to that: "…but the truth is power. Sometimes it goes astray.' In my case, Watcher, it holds much more to me."

I gave an inquisitive look to Orion. "Can't you ever reveal some small portion of knowledge every now and then?"

He merely sighed. "Knowledge is like building a house; you have it to a satisfactory levels, are you satisfied? Do you keep going? My knowledge can shape the very foundations of everything. I will not give in to temptation, let alone the dark forces."

"It has you what you have become today." I fired back.

He paused for a brief few moments, and then continued with his examining of the Town, I think. "What else?"

He wouldn't—and didn't—like my answer. "Nothing. It's been like a tomb since his demise. But as you've said too many times before…"

"…Nothing is what it disguises itself as. Too many corners in the dark when competition can hide…I told you once I saw great potential in Xehanort for the Keyblade's future. I also saw the darkness, like a small seed steadily growing, transforming him to what he is today. He sought knowledge, power as well. Knowledge is power; that particular knowledge could not become his, by any means necessary. Sora, Riku, Kairi…Terra, Aqua, Ventus…Roxas, Lea, Xion…King Mickey and Master Yen Sid, my dear old friend…even good old Eraqus…they done much to disrupt the storm. Now when it's all said and done, his ambitions like in ruins. We always needed heroes like them since the…"incident"…all those years ago. Speaking of heroes…" he turned to me in a hopeful and worried look. "…have you made any contact with the wizard? Or his brother?"

This news he probably would like…before I added something else. "Actually, yes. Just a few weeks ago. They're both looking into a…recent development." I gulped.

He twitched and stood up. Typical response for him when I do that.

"WHAT…recent…development?!"

"You…probably don't want to know, Keeper."

His nose flared. "Try me."


	6. Omen Unleashed

_**Omen Unleashed**_

I cracked my neck (figuratively), wiggled my palms (also figuratively), and spoke unceremoniously. "Well, they've recently come upon certain…artifacts of a…culture dead for quite some time."

He was expecting the response that came after his question to be absolutely not what he feared it to be. "What culture, Watcher?"

It was. "…Credulian, Keeper.."

Of all the things to hear upon the fact that Xehanort was rotting in the dirt of the Keyblade Graveyards, this was the worst news possible. The Keeper was stunned.

"Cre-Credulian?! Are you sure?!"

"When have they ever been wrong on any lead? With that in mind, when have **I**?"

The Keeper was still attempting to gather the info I had laid down to him. The process wasn't going in the right direction at all. Why would it be?

"How could there be anything left?…How could I not have…" He wet his lips. "If this is…if he…Then why hasn't he made a move yet?! Maybe this is a ruse or something that…"

"Anlor already concluded no ruse has been in use as of yet. This is a genuine as it gets. I agree, though. If he were back in the picture, why would he wait? He would have made some sort of appearance by name. If he aligned himself with—"

A picture is worth a thousand words. The Keeper's face displayed two: pure shock and absolute fear. The first is very rare from him. The latter I have never seen before in my time with him.

He finally spoke after a good minute of consuming my theory. "Oh, hell. This is—Yen Sid must be informed."

"What about—"

"That's irrelevant. What you believe and what the twins have found all but confirms my darkest fear. The Keybladers must be prepared for the coming assault. What's more…my superiors need to be told. They'll decide the best action here."

I was going to argue, but choose not to; whether something of significant importance came up, he always had to make contact with his 'superiors', who I know nothing about ( I may know almost everything, apparently the Keeper had an edge on me for reliable information at times). I had a thought come to mind. "If it's alright with you, may I join them to access their process myself and let you know my findings, just to ease your worries somewhat?"

He gave the proposal careful thought. "That seems…sufficient for now. I will leave here soon. If the time for me to enter into the world's fate again is nigh, then I will plunge into the battlefield and aid them. Do you part well. If what they fear as we do is what it seems to be, we need to find allies and weapons for good quality and quantity quickly and efficiently as possible before pressing head-on into _his_ maniacal battles."

As I evaporated from view, he looked at the Town one more time, then made his exit though a portal. The fight for the worlds and Kingdom Hearts has taken a very bad turn, indeed…

* * *

Now be advised all of this is post-conflict, so this is why I know who his superiors are now, but at the time, I had no indication who they were…

* * *

The portal's destination was in an asteroid belt, on one in particular when the Keeper was headed. What was one that asteroid was the Keyshrine, a forgotten relic of an age that bards and scribes have never been able to learn about, since most known documents begin with the X-Blade. Its guardians granted him passage through the main gates. The echoes and songs of fallen soul still set chills down his spine, as did the graphic paintings of and age of war that too has been forgotten; a war that laid the foundation of kingdom hearts long before it was called Kingdom Hearts. He stepped onto a circular surfaced that descended into a cold and dark chamber. Beyond a great door he pushed through, threw statues stood, bearing three Keyblades of a forgotten age, at the end, gazing over the sigil of a weapon that fathered the X-Blade. Three spirits—one of darkness, one of light, and one of grey—lunged forth and presented themselves to the Keeper. He greeted them with a formal bow then spoke.

"We may have a problem," he began.

The three spirits turn to one another in confused faces and bewilderment.

"Explain," the middle one, the grey one, ordered eerily.


	7. Relaxation Time

_**Relaxation Time**_

The Mysterious Tower usually isn't a place for much excitement, let alone relaxation. That was the case, though, with the Keybladers, drinking tea, eating various fruits and snacks; justing enjoying the moment that all their hard work had paid off with Xehanort's demise. Sora, Riku, Ventus, Roxas, and Terra were in one corner and the girls (Kairi, Xion, and Aqua) were at the other end of the room, just talking about their adeventures and all the things they had endured to that point. Lea wasn't engaging in talk; he looked out the crescent moon window, thinking about the choses he made as a Nobody and a Keyblader; some easy, some hard.

Yen Sid and Master Eraqus were in talk mode, though. the King was attending to some business at his castle with Donald and Goofy. The Three Good Fairies had left earlier in the day to visit Aurora.

"...but I still can't believe that worked, though," Riku was saying to the boys. "The fact that all of us, not just the 7 chosen, cleaned house with the old goon."

"He had it coming, Riku." Terra stated.

"Yeah...well, with him gone, we can finally leave normal lives."

"We're Keybladers, Ventus. There is no 'normal' in our lives." retorted Roxas.

"I wonder what happens now." Sora wondered.

"That's up to the Masters, kid. I suppose if something happened, we would be summoned to investigate." theorized Terra.

"Hey! I'm 17! I'm far from being a kid anymore!"

"Depends on who you ask." Riku chuckled.

"Hey! Whose side are you on?! You're suppose to be my friend!"

"Yeah, and as your friend, I have good info on when you act your age or when you act that the lazy bum you sometimes are."

While that argument progressed, the girls had their own topics going on.

"So, who do think is cuter? Roxas or Ventus?"

"Really, Xion? They're both identical." Aqua stated with an annoyed tone in her voice.

"Yeah, I know...so who do you think is cuter?"

"For the love of...Xion, why do you insist on comparing the two? They are basically the same person-just cut from different hearts."

"Oh, you're no fun. Kairi, what do you think?"

"Uh, well, I-"

"Now hold on. I can be fun."

Xion cocked a brow. "Really? Name one thing you did that was 'fun'."

"Uh, well..." Aqua spared a few brief moments to consider her response. "I won a competition once."

"No offense, Aqua, but winning against Pete isn't all that great, Any body can kick his tail around."

"Yes...but I did it first."

"Snap." Kairi blasted at Xion, whose face scrounged together.

The Masters were examining their pupils with smiles and laughs.

"it's good for them be having such a wonderful time together." Eraqus said proudly.

"Indeed. Some of us had a close call or two during the final confrontation with Xehanort and the darknesses. Am I correct?"

Eraqus blinked then smiled. He knew he meant him. "Yes, well...someone had to distract Xehanort while the Keybladers got themselves prepared to take him down, and if I recall correctly, you were..what's the word...'busy' with some Heartless, right?"

Yen Sid striked and drunk his tea. "Yes, I underestimated their strength. It was a foolish error."

"I though Masters don't make errors." Lea refuted. He was listening to the others conversations yet deemed theirs as more interesting.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Lea. It's only natural. Nothing is ever perfect." Yen Sid pointed out

"Yeah, but who said it doesn;t hurt to try. I've rarely made a mishap in my time."

The two masters shot looks of 'Yeah, right.' to each other. "Would you like to rephrase that statement, Lea?"

"Nope. Sticking to my guns. I'm always Mr. Reliable; no errors for me. Got it memorized?"

"I think the initial point is presented fairly decent, Lea." Eraqus answered, followed by a quizzical look from Lea.

"We got it, Lea." Yen Sid simplified.

"Hey, Lea. Join us." Roxas offered.

"Na, Roxas. I'm not around 2nd string Masters like Terra."

That quieted the room. "Excuse me?" Terra softly barked.

"Yeah, man. You wield your blade like an old woman. No wonder the boss got the better of you years ago."

Terra summoned Ends of the Earth. "Take that back."

Lea responded with a smirk and summoning of Flame Burst.

Eraqus stopped it began it exploded further. "Enough. We're here to have fun, not let tempers. flare. Lea, apologize."

"For voicing my opinion?"

"LEA!"

"Alright. Jeez, Take a chill pill, old man." He walked up to TErra, extended his hand, and said,"Sorry, bro. I was just pushing your buttons."

Terra put a hand on his shoulder. "Try that again,and you'll be pushed around."

Before there was a repeat of unnecessary comments leading to brawls, a strange sound echoed through the chamber. It sounded old and corky.

"What is that?" Sora asked.

"Master?" Aqua said to Master Eraqus. he wasn't listening to her.

Soon they all looked at Yen Sid, holding a rather unusual orb that was the generator of the sound.

"What is it, Master? said the King.

"A beacon from an old friend I have not heard from in many years." Yen Sid finally answered.

"Is that what I-Yen Sid, is that _his_ beacon?" Eraqus, still in shock.

"Yes...it is."

"Whose beacon, Master yen Sid?" Riku asked, intrigued.

"The...The Keeper of Keys."

"You called?" said a new voice, filled with regret and confidence.


	8. The Keeper of Keys

_**The Keeper of Keys**_

Everybody in the room turned to the newcomer who somehow appeared in the corner without detection. He was a sturdy fellow, who possessed a well-built body, fit for any sort of military campaign. His clothes consisted of a three-piece velvet cloak, two steel bracers designed with technique, a shoulder guard depicting a gold lion, and a rather unusual weapon: a long staff, carved with unique and individual patterns. The staff's main blade resembled a Keyblade. They, naturally, drew their blades, for when he tried something.

"Who are you?" Aqua asked.

"What do you what?" Terra barked.

"If you're looking for a little 'Ring around the Rosie', you've come to the right place, my friend." Lea stated, to which Roxas shot a glare at him.

Lea shrugged. "What?"

"Are you a Keyblader?" Sora asked, his focus on the Keeper's staff.

Both Masters stood in awe at the 'guest.' "Keeper, is that you?" Yen Sid questioned.

"Wait, Master..._this_ is the Keeper?" Roxas asked.

Xion eyed him kinda funny, which the Keeper found both intriguing and very awkward. "Do I look offensive to you, girl?"

"No! And I'm not a girl. I'm 16. I just...sorta found you...cute to look at." That drew an outraged consensus from everyone.

"Okay, two things totally wrong with that. First and foremost, it doesn't really mattered how old you are; what you do, experience, and remember defines who you are. Secondly, thanks for the compliment, but I'm not one for looks, honey. It just isn't me."

"Honey?! You trying to make a move on me?"

The Keeper smirked. "Depends on-"

"Alright, enough of this!" Riku vociferated. "Xion, cut it out. And you-who are you?!"

"Riku, I don't think-" Sora began.

"No, Sora. Let him ask. I suppose it is a valid question. Who am I, you ponder? I was once like you all, a Keyblader, but I let my heart lead me down..." He SLighty paused. "...a terrible path. So I vacated all rights as a Keyblader and took on the ancient title of Keeper of Keys, Beare of Knowledge, and Wielder of Santo Chiave, or the 'Holy Key' in the Old Language, though it itself is not a Keyblade."

"Wait, you can't wield a Keyblade anymore?" inquired Roxas.

"I gave up that right, boy. It's own of the requirements for the post. Besides, I really haven't regretted the job much."

"What do you mean when you say Bearer of Knowledge?" Aqua asked.

"That mean, Master Aqua, all knowledge that is past, present, and a bit of the future is catalog by me as it is given to me by my...sources, to which I shall not reveal; even walls ears that tend to leak 'discreet info'."

"What?" The younger Keybladers inquired.

"Enough riddles, Keeper. Why are you here?" Eraqus interrogated rather rudely.

"Wait a minute, Master. I have a question."

"Then by all means, Sora, ask; you must not be hesitate to ask, otherwise you will know nothing. A good rule to gain knowledge."

"Apparently you know the Masters already, so you have had to have been an ally of theirs for a while."

"I have been in contact and given advice to Keybladers for many a year, more than I care to recollect."

"How long have you been Keeper?" Kairi finally asked.

"My looks deceive my servitude. I am the 3rd in history, though the precepts count my predecessor as more of a rogue than fulfilling his duties. So take a guess at my age."

"45?" Kairi asked politely.

The Keeper chuckled. "No."

"You can't be older than 45." Xion pointed out.

"I'm sorry, but did my statement of age go in one ear and out the other? I am _far _older."

"How old?' terra wondered.

The Keepers released a tiny laugh, then answered, "Try 317."

Everyone gasped, except the Masters. "No way." Roxas asked.

"You don't look-"

"-one bit of my age, dear Xion? No, I don't. Compare to Master Yen Sid...bad example. His beard a good estimate on his age. No offense, old friend." Yen Sid just nodded, still stunned the Keeper was here.

"Can I finish?" Sora asked.

"Can you or may you?"

""Why do you...forget that. If you been around all this time...' He lunged forward in interest. "...why haven't you helped us. Or the Lost Keybladers? Where you _you_ at?"

"Sora, I don't think it is to-" Eraqus began in concern.

The Keeper lifted a hand. "It's another valid question. I cam prepared knowing I would be barraged with some inquiries about myself. My reason for staying "out of the picture' if you will is that one: I felt that you didn't _need my _help. Some things were meant to be, and as must as I loathed that snake Xehanort, it was clear that what had happened was meant to happen. If I have at any point intervened in your journeys, that would have possibly given way to much more dire consequences. Even lives lost that would not be here now. I could not risk that. I only come know because of urgent matters that have come to my attention."

"You don't know that. You could have helped...You could've saved..." Sora started to tear a bit, and Riku and Lea place hands on him. Kairi let a single tear go.

The Keeper sighed heavily, as if tired. "Yes...Namine...that was her choice. Willingness to...sacrifice oneself for the good of all to live on...is not an act I can interfere in. Hence, I did not"

"You...could have helped...us..."

"No Sora. I couldn't. I am a keeper of knowledge I am not that talented of a fighter as I use to be. My skills with the staff as a weapon have...diminshed over the years. Still, you all did fine without me. though you went through terrible ordeals. For that, you have my sympathy."

"Sympathy?! Sympathy doesn't bring back Namine back, you old coward." Kairi yelled, which the Keybladers were astounded at.

"Kairi! That was uncalled for!" Yen Sid barked, finally recovered from the shock.

The Keeper gave the sorcerer a look of understanding. "Let her rant. She has every right to. You call be coward. I am one. It is not a proud trait of mine, but it has become my main attribute in recent years. I once had the strength to change the worlds and bring peace. After...unfortunate circumstances led to...an unuforseen passing, I let go of my strength and my heart, and become nothing more that a glorified librarian. That is partially why I haven't helped out before, Sora. That is who I am, Riku; a coward."

"You have given us valuable expertise at certain points in the order's history at your own risk, Keeper. That does not make you a coward at the slightest."

"Huh. Relying on this guy as a channel doesn't make him much."

"Thank you, Lea, for you opinion; you have a most interesting way to voice your expressions. Your sentiment is appreciated, Master Eraqus, But now is not the time for discussing past successes. You all must return to Disney Castle at once!"

"Why? is the King is danger?" Sora asked, wall the members in a fresh state of worry.

"He soon will be. Xehanort's maniacal plot is done for, but a new player has commenced a new game. The clouds of war are gathering. The Realm War has come."

* * *

Santo Chiave is 'Holy Key' in Italian, so the Old Age will be Italian in the story.


	9. Keeper's Log: Entry 2

_**Keeper's Log: Entry** **2**_

_Day 4: 7th hour, 28 minute. Location: Highly Classified_

How can my masters do this?! They consider the twins' evidence to be 'circumstantial' at best?! He is back! Why can't they accept that?!

They can't be afraid; after everything _they_ went through...no, I've known they for too long. Their stance must have a good reason.

Hopefully, the brothers can find more solid evidence to better fund this claim.

Hopefully, The Watcher's stance will end this pointless debate so we can be better prepare ourselves for the storm that approaches.

This is no coincidence. If he has returned, he will have an army with him. His wrath might have no upper limits.

The Keybladers must be informed of this immediately. Would they believe me, though? Too many questions, so little time...

They cannot be told everything about be; no one other than the Watcher has gained my trust for that. So, I'll simplify my answers in ways where their appetite will be satisfied to a point where I'm somewhat in their confidence.

The Hidden Darkness has shown its true colors at last...

The time has come for me to put aside my cowardice, cast away my pacifist attempts for knowledge, and train myself again , as well as them, the arts of war...

What the scribes feared for centuries, what the seers dreaded for eons, a war that will consume all we love and have fought for...has come...

The Realm War begins now...

Hopefully...we will be ready...lest we all succumb to the darkness that arises in the north...


	10. Among the First Wielders

_**Among the First Wielders**_

_A day before…_

"Xehanort is gone; what do the worlds need to fear now?" the left one, the dark one, crisply asked. His shadow 'wore' something of a fur shirt, leggings, arm bands, and a helm with a depiction of a panther.

The Keeper looked up in guilt. "Something has come up…we may face a bigger problem now…I need your permission to… access certain powers…I sense a new war approaching."

"You ask us to—why would—how bad?" The left one, the one of light, inquired. Though most of his body was illuminated by light, his choice of wear was a full set of armor without and helmet.

"Bad."

The grey one, who 'wore' nothing but loose pants and sandals along with linear tattoo lines across his upper breast and torso, stared, unsatisfied. "Define bad, Keeper."

The Keeper's muscles tinged. "Credulian bad."

Shock was the initial response, then:

"_Are_ you certain? How do you know?" the dark one furiously pressed.

"The brothers have discovered some evidence that greatly resembles the size and structure of their old tools, so their findings are very much leading towards a dreaded hypothesis."

"This is circumstantial at best. It could be a fluke of a sort." The lighter one argued.

The other two shot looks of needed clarification. "Do we know that for certain, brother?"

"Their civilization never expanded past their own moon, brother. They were a barbaric sort of people. We all know that."

"Though the held honor in the code of life, no?" The grey one pointed out. "Their trials into adulthood are all based on not only being strong physically and mentally, but being honorable along with those. Their barbaric nature was only present on the battlefield."

"Be that as it may, they were wiped out by an epidemic," the dark one noted.

"All but one." said the Keeper with a feeling of guilt.

The three gazed upon the Keeper in shock. "Are you seriously suggesting what I think you are?" asked the lighter one in fury.

"There is no reason for you to reach that conclusion, Keeper! He died a long time ago. Alnor saw to that. After all, the fiend betrayed him and the Great Order of Unity, and single handily slaughtered them all to the last two survivors-one who hunts beasts and other horrors in a jungle some stars away, and the other being Alnor. I will draw no conclusion to support that theory until more definitive proof is presented." The grey one stated crystal clear

"The Watcher has voluntarily dispatched himself to investigate the matter. I am sure he will clear up any doubt once he reports in."

The three brothers were appeased but not convinced. "So be it. We will discuss the matter privately. Go to the Keybladers as you must do; if there is a new war coming as you yourself fear so, they then will need be prepared as much as possible." The dark one ordered.

"As you wish, my Lords. I serve the will of the First Wielders."

After the Keeper bowed and left the chamber, the brothers, Biuo, Luce, and Grigio by name, sighed and discussed the matter that had arisen.

"We're all thinking it. I'll just come out and say it: The twins have never been wrong about concluding evidence before. If what they find does indeed…" began Luce.

"That does not mean a thing, Luce! We all need more definitive proof before I will even begin to agree towards that hypothesis." Biuo roared.

"This will get us nowhere, brothers. The Keeper believes it as well as the Watcher. The twins were the first to 'confirm' it. If it is him…if it is the traitor…how can he be alive? He had no Heartless of Nobody. Plus, he did not give up his body at any point of his life." Grigio declared.

"A life that was hard for him to live due to his ancestor's folly with a woman. He lived through many scars and only the Order gave him some comfort." Luce stated.

"And his repayment was utter treachery and genocide." Biuo stated.

"His untamed anger was a regrettably trait of his people. For all their honorable qualities and beliefs, they rage in battle was their great weakness." Grigio pointed out.

"That gave him no right to do what he did. He killed Caldnor. "

"If you were embarrassed like that, Biuo, would you do anything differently in your rage?" Luce inquired.

"That is beside the point! I am not like..." Controlling his emotions, he continued on his rant. "The main fact stands that all we have are a bunch of old pots and defunct weapons that were obviously place there as a ruse."

"Or conveniently placed their as a marker or a warning for the incoming storm." Grigio said in regret. "I fear that we must face the growing possibility that he _is _alive and hell-bent on revenge."

"But _how _is he _alive_?! The way Alnor took him down, they was no physical way for him too…"

"Put physics aside, Biuo. We live in a world of magic and darkness. Still, I concur…whoever brought him back…if he did not do it himself…who have had to possess immense power and great lore in dark arcane arts." Luce observed.

Biuo gasped. "And only one man has ever had that power. A power that Xehanort could never wield."

The two went into shock mode. "That's-not-possible." Luce whispered.

"The Keybladers trapped him millennium ago. As long as a Keyblade is used for the safety of the worlds and the protection of the goodwill and free, he cannot break his prison. Nor escape from it." Grigio stated firmly.

Biuo looked to the two in disappoint. "Are we forgetting his fail safes? His bastions with the 'special doors'?"

"They were all plundered and burnt to the ground. So were those doors. There should not be one standing at all." Grigio put down with grim determination.

"Although…"Luce pondered a terrible thought. "What if he secretly concealed one in a place the Keybladers dared not look into?"

Grigio caught on right away and trembled. "You don't mean…_THERE?!_"

"I am afraid to say that I do, brother." He paused. "A perfect backup plan if something ever did happen to him. And here I thought he was feeble-minded. Shows you what I-and we-know."

"We don't have reason to suspect that is so!" Grigio declared, still trembling.

"We don't have reason to suspect that it is _not_ so!" Biuo shot back. Luce was surprised to see his more 'darker' sibling side with him for a change, as was Grigio.

"What made you-?" Luce started but didn't quite finish as Biuo raised a hand stop him from pondering on.

"I thought of it, too. Although, I did not wish it was so...but it is...logical." He forced the last word out.

"Do you believe the Keeper fears this as well?" Grigio asked with newfound worry.

Biuo took a brief moment to consider. "If I made a guess, I would suspect so, brother. As much as I dislike this one, I am beginning to see why we chose him…and as much as I hate to admit it, his viewpoints on the 'hidden darkness' that we have discussed are starting to influence mine more towards a…reluctant truth."

"Which is, Biuo?" Grigio asked intrigued. Both he and Luce looked at Biuo who lowered his head, then raised it with a dark gleam in his maroon eyes.

"It has unofficially come to pass, I sense…the war of wars, the war we have feared would come sooner or later...The Real, War has come…The Destiny and Doom of the mighty Keybladers is upon us..."

* * *

The Three Brothers names are in Italian: Luce (Light), Biuo (Darkness), and Grigio (Grey)


	11. This is Not Good

_**This is Not Good**_

_6 hours before_

The air smelled of sweat and filth on the far off world of Devil's Delight. The name probably gives the setting off. It was a survival nightmare for any mere mortal, due to the main population being carnivores and such. Not for the brothers Alnor and Anlor, who were sitting on two tree stumps and in between them on a third stump were whole pieces of Credulian artifacts. A campfire was to the right of them.

Alnor wore traveling clothes, consisting of leather boots, pants, and gloves, a left shoulder guard, and a two piece shirt with a chainmail covering on the inside. His beard was short but not dirty, and a long knotted scar went for the top corner of his nose to his right cheek.

Anlor was more clean cut. Beside his ornate and mighty staff, his silver leggings, breastplate, cloak, and boots all designs of a blue dragon. He had some time ago received the nickname "The Wise Dragon" for his patience and skills on fighting off hordes of the flying lizards on a mountainous world. His bracers were plain silver with dark blue trim. His hair was longer now that it was when Alnor's child came into the world; it was slightly passed his shoulders.

"You did say the Watcher would be here shortly, right?" asked Anlor, a hoarse tone in his voice, most likely from the foul stench in the air.

It didn't affect Anlor at all. "One: I said he would be here in good time. Two: I told you to make sure you drank the potion I for you before we came here. It would have rendered this exotic smell powerless to your senses."

"Yeah, I did! See?" he threw an empty flask at Anlor caught it with one hand. HE took a quick glance and shook his head. "My dear brother…you do realize _now_ this is an ether you drank. Since your magic is already full, it would be now good."

Alnor coughed. "They had the same color."

"Is there ever a time when you actually _look_ before you _take_?" asked Anlor sarcastically.

"You said we were in a rush."

Anlor clasped his hands together. "Yes, but surely you had… you know what? Forget it. Just promise me you will observe you surroundings better next time. You almost got killed on the landing."

Alnor spat out bad saliva then sighed. "For some, that would be a nice reprieve."

The wizard was taken aback. "What on earth does _that_ mean?"

"Come on, Anlor. Haven't I done some very questionable things to stay alive for the past 20 some years or so? For starters, the whole rebellion on that urban world; the assassination of a royal family on a medieval one; and to top it all off, I personally was the investigator of an apocalypse!"

Anlor pondered his brother's reasoning for a few brief moments. "First off, that rebellion was against a corrupt government as I recall. Secondly, those assassinations were the last resorts on a tyrannical family who murdered, raped, and plundered those in their rule. You saved the citizens for a lot a pain. And lastly, that apocalypse was not _your_ fault."

Alnor shot a glare at him. "Okay, you may have unintentionally but physically started a spontaneous volcanic eruption across the western hemisphere. And you again unintentionally force the governments of both kingdoms to send nuclear devices at each other. They were going to blow themselves up, anyway. You were the unfortunate scapegoat."

Alnor sighed again. "I should never have gotten involved in all those situations. I am condemned to eternal suffering for all that.

"Okay, stop the self-pity parade right there! You need to grow up! Yes, you accept the responsibilities for all those atrocities, but that doesn't mean should seek out death because of them. Bad things happen to good people as well as bad, and ironically, that's how bad people come into the world: when bad things happen to them. You are _not_ a bad person, Alnor. I know you that that. Caldnor did as well."

Alnor stand up and looked his twin dead in his emerald eyes. "Don't mention…him again, brother. I _failed_ him that day; he was weary from his illness and I could not protect him." He backed off then.

"You all fell into a trap. Even I didn't see it coming."

Alnor lay his head on his clasped hands. "I know. I just wish…"

Anlor patted him softly on the right shoulder. "I too do wish it so. But the past is the past. Only the future can be changed. Remember what father taught us; 'As long as you learn you accept the past-"

"-the future is yours to change.' How could I forget?" He smiled, and then slouched in regret along with a frown

"Now what?"

Alnor looked up in grief. "Thinking of family…makes me…think about-"

"Yes, I know. Do you think that day in her castle has not faded from my memory? He has survived, has he not?"

"I should have helped him."

"We had other matters to attend to. Just because a major crisis goes on in one end of the universe doesn't mean the other end is left checked. They did fine."

"All we now is what the Watche has told us and what you've have seen. I still have no idea what he looks like."

Thought about it, and then asked a different question: "How long was the spell you cast on him supposed to last for?"

"His whole life unless I remove it. Why? You think I should?"

"Don't you want him to tell the truth?"

Alnor gazed at the foggy sky where glimpses of starlight barely shined through. "Not yet. It's better if he doesn't know who he is yet."

"The time for hiding is over. Do you fear the truth?"

Anlor responded flatly and emotionless. "I fear what the truth will do to him and others. He is her only son, my only…he has been destined for great things. One can even wonder, as I have, that maybe he was first on the Keyblade's list after all."

"He never touched one. Remember the rules."

Anlor paused. "I suppose so…"

Just then, a portal opening and my figure floated forth.

"Sorry I'm late. The Lands in Between aren't as fast as they use to be. Did I miss something?" I asked.

"No. No. We were just talking about life, and the fact that my brother can't tell the difference between and elixir and a bottle of vinegar."

"Hey! I resent that! I can be careless, but I am not a retard."

"Did I ever say that?"

"You've been thinking it from 40 some years."

"Uh boys, before Brawl City premieres, where is this evidence you told me about?"

Alnor pointed over to stump. I 'walked' over (excuse the pun) and closely examined the broken spear, the decorated pot, the helm in half, and the pipe.

"They all seem to be ancient. What evidence is presented here that say _he_ is around?"

Anlor nodded at Alnor, who looked down in misery.

"They all belonged to him. And they were found different worlds where he once fought in the name of…the…the Order." He forced the last words through tight lips.

"Alnor, I understand this is hard for you." I stated sympathetically.

Alnor glared at him with venom. "No, you don't understand. Could _**anyone **_understand my torment?! Those-things belonged to somewhere I thought I could trust once as my own flesh and blood, along with 19 other men included Caldnor! He coerced two in joining him in exile and…" His hands firmly entrenched themselves in his face. Through them, he said, "We should never had answered that damned distress signal…I should never have let Caldnor go with us…It was reckless, foolish, and stupid!" Before he got to the 'reckless' bit, he rose up walked over to a tee and punched it ferociously 3 times cracking the wood in the process, and from where he hit it part of it fell over after a good 2 seconds.

"I…don't know what to-"

"Don't even finish that line, Watcher. Nothing can be done." Emphasized Anlor. He whispered, "He changed that day…I guess we all did."

While Alnor breathed heavily and Anlor merely gazed upon the fire, I continued my thorough examination. Before long, I went through all the artifacts except the pipe. "Well, so far, despite your claim, I can see no reason-" I stopped mid-sentence.

"What is it?" the alarmed wizard asked. Anlor looked over to him as well.

"Anlor…look at this" he handed him the pipe. "Correct me if I am mistaken, but…I think there something _in_ it…I sense magic…a very dark… it be too small for a normal magician to notice it." They were all around it now. 'I am surprised you didn't sense it before."

Anlor was shocked. "As am I." He started to put a finger down it.

"Brother, be careful. We don't know what it is."

"Alnor, I've seen plenty of the tricks of the trade in magic. What have I to-"

As his finger mad contact with the small swirling dark drop of magic, the winds suddenly hollowed, blowing the fire out and scattering the burnt wood different directions, some nearly hitting Alnor, who ducked at the last minute.. Lightning tore the sky apart.

"WHAT THE HECK?!" Alnor yelled, though his voice with in minority due the storms' power. "Brother, what is-" He stopped right in his tracks. Anlor's eyes were white now; this was a sign that he was having a vision, whether it was good news or omens. I was looking on, completely stunned; I had ever seen one of Anlor's foresights before.

After a minute or so, the storm lifted as strangely as it commence., and the foggy sky returned. Since his brother was in a trance, he collected more and ignited a new fir with his Keyblade. He knew better than to interfere with his brother's most powerful asset.

Some 15 seconds later, Anlor's eyes returned to their original emerald color, and he fell into his brothers arms.

"Hey, wake up. It's over." Alnor said, patting his brother on both cheeks.

"…Huh, what? Who?"

"At a boy, bro. You're okay."

"Forgive me, Alnor; was that-"

"Yes, one of his visions. Usually, storms don't happen around him when that happens. " He just thought of something. "The pipe! Look at it! Carefully, please, We don't want to return you to the Keeper in a pan or something.

I just had to chuckle. "Your concern is flattering, but unnecessary, Anlor the Valiant." Anlor blinked; he hadn't heard that tile in quite the while. "Isn't that what they use to call you?' I observed, acknowledging Alnor's confused expression.

"Yeah, a…long time ago… Is the pipe safe?"

I picked it up with the upmost care and gazed in. "It's…gone. The magic has dispersed, I suppose."

"What was it, then?"

"A…warning. A terrible warning." Anlor finally said.

We both presented quick looks of utter confusion.

"Brother…what-did-you-see?!"

He began his experience as thus (This is where you may want to say 'Oh, crap.'):

"I saw…a castle…Disney Castle, I think. Haven't really seen it in years…it was… burning…towers collapsing, walls crumbling, death all around…I saw the Keybladers in…chains and shackles…forced to bend to the will of…No…NO! It cannot be!"

"Whoa, Anlor, slow the horse down. Who did you-"

Anlor gripped his brother by the collar of his short and dragged him closer in. "Listen to me…We to assemble the Keybladers NOW! We've all been fools! Played like a damn violin!"

"Master Anlor, I fail to see…I could not sense nor track your findings while your when in the trance…what is going to happen?"

"War…a terrible war…a war that will destroy all we have fought to keep standing up for untold generations…it is coming…The Realm War is upon us!"

Alnor was taken by total surprise; the prophets and scribes foretold of a terrible conflict between darkness and light. He though it was about the Xehanort conflict; apparently that was just the appetizer.

"Who did you see? Brother, did you see _him_?"

Anlor calmed over after a bit. "Yes…I did…he is back…I saw his legions."

I wasn't expecting _that_. "Did-did you say _**legions**_, Master Anlor?"

"I did…the shadow is upon us…"

Alnor took this in very slowly: the man he had killed with the other survivor on the steps of Radiant garden, along with the other two traitors, was back, alive and well, and in command of an immense army. This was not good at all.  
"How many did you see?"

Anlor gulped. "At the least…over 5 million in total count…I saw various types of Heartless, I believe…and Nobodies…and the Unversed were evident…and men…no, not men…ghouls that looked like…Credulians, I think…no, I'm sure…brother, this is not good." With that, he fell asleep. A side effect of the visions.

Alnor pondered the extra intel. _He brought back his own people to life_?

"Alnor, the Keeper and the Keybladers need to know of this immediately. Time is of the essence." I demanded.

While putting his brother to bed, he looked at the sky once more. "So the shadow has come out of its hole…Watcher, go at once, but do not tell of us…it's better that if they find out about us, its personally."

"Which will be when?"

"Soon. We'll rendezvous at Disney Castle at once. The King must be told."

"Suppose, they don't believe the Keeper when I tell him of this. Suppose the King and Wen Sid don't."

"Then tell him to instruct them to go to Disney Castle, saying that the King is in need of dire help. He will be eventual; my brothers' visions have never been false. Yen Sid trusts me; my counsel just. Eraqus too, though that bridge is cracked in places,. The King…Let me worry about the details. Just do you part and go! NOW!"

"Right away!" I left in a flash (quite literally).

Alnor just kept looking at the sky, then summoned his Keyblade, Honor's Last Echo.

"My old friend…war beckons us now…the traitor I had long thought dead in the dirt is once again among us. I hope we are all ready…I hope we all survive…"

He gathered all the evidence into his pouch (magically, of course. Like those things would actually fit into a small pouch physically), threw his sleeping brother on his shoulder, and summoned his Key Glider. When he was some light years away, he thought of his son one more time and dived into the Lanes Between.

_I hope you are ready, son…your true worth…your true purpose…is about to be tested…_


	12. Details, details, and look: More Details

_**Details, details…and look: More Details**_

"Explain it to us again." Yen Sid asked for the fourth time.

The Keeper was not frustrated by the fact that the Keybladers were utterly confused by what he was attempting to inform them of; he was getting frustrated by repeating the same details over and over again.

"From where?" asked the Keeper.

"The beginning, if you will." Eraqus indulged.

"Which beginning?"

"What is the Realm War?" Sora asked.

"Who is going to attack us?" Terra asked.

"How do you know all this?" Roxas asked.

"And what's the deal with-"

"Okay, enough!" The Keeper roared "Lea, make another smart-ass comment, and you'll spend the next 10 years of your life pulling teeth out of your throat. I mean it. Okay, for the _**last**_ time: I only know what my sources tell me. I just got this info over 5 hours ago."

"So what is the Realm War?" Ventus asked.

"Is it a bad war?" Kairi asked.

"All war is bad, princess. All conflict is nothing without controversy or compromise for saving some lives. Yen Sid, give me a hand here."

"The Realm War, Kairi, as far as we know, was a conflict the bards would happen in the future that would ultimately destroy the worlds. A seer foretold of this and told them thus. In fact…"

With a wave of his hand, a great book popped up on his desk. "…I think I have a copy of the original records."

"An old copy. I thought most were ash now." The Keeper wondered.

"I try to maintain all my possessions with the greatest care. Now then…" he opened the book and flip through some pages. "Ah, here we go. Gather around, please."

As they so, he began the tale:

"Some other editions have existed or did exist have different versions of how the seer, left unnamed, spoke of his vision, but this is the actual account. This book was made about 20 years or so after the seer met with the bards."

"That as over 5,000 years ago, yen Sid. How did you come about such an artifact?" The asked intrigued.

"Eraqus gave it to me as a gift a while ago."

"I was cleaning out archives once, and in case something happened, I gave him some of our older texts."

"Smart move. May you please read, Master yen Sid. It has been quite a while since I myself have listened to the account of the seer."

And so yen Sid continued, "This is what the seer said:

* * *

_A trial by fire…a trial by magic...a trail by darkness…that is how the worlds will be tested on day…a war to engulf us in everlasting darkness will come to pass when a traitor of justice shall come around and declare his intentions for all lands here and far…a war of wars…to end all wars…the Realm War…many will gather, for the call of arms is not individually but worldwide…the storm that comes to a castle of_

_dazzling white shall be put asunder and thrown into the fire...be forewarned by my counsel…you Keybladers will fight this threat…and you must _

_win…else all the blood that has been spent and all lives that have been sacrificed for a universal peace will have been for naught…and darkness will welcome its king once more…"_

* * *

"What the heck does that mean?" Xion asked.

"Who was the seer?" Riku asked.

"We never knew; she chose to remain anonymous." Yen Sid answered regrettably. "have never given though to this prophecy, for I always assumed it would happen after my time…I know now that is not the case anymore. It speaks for itself, though, does it not? We are to take part in the Realm War and stop what black tide is coming our way."

"when the seer said, 'dazzling castle of white', do you think he means-" Aqua started.

"Yes; Disney Castle will be the main battleground for the conflict. That is why we must go there now with haste."

"Keeper, who you understand the last line? About the 'king of darkness?" Ventus asked.

The Keeper pretended to ponder the question; he the answer already, but chose to left in unchallenged. It was better, he thought, that they don't know about _him _just yet.

"I wish I knew." he lied. "That is irrelevant for the moment, though. We need to leave now. Get to your gliders and ships."

"Don't you think you're being a bit rude, Keeper? You're not in command of the Keybladers." Eraqus pointed out, to which the Keeper shot a "lion preying on a deer" stare at Eraqus.

"You are right, of course. My apologies. But we should go now." The Keeper said.

"Agreed. Do as he says."

"Who is this guy?" Xion whispered to Aqua.

"I don't now, but I feel he has no hostile intentions towards us, so for the moment, we will trust him unless something happens."

"Let's hope you're right." Lea said, joining in on the conversation.

As the younger ones left, the two older Masters asked the Keeper to stay a little bit longer.

"Keeper, wait just a moment. You know more of this prophecy than anyone. What are you hiding from us?"

"Excuse me?"

"I am in agreement with my old friend. You can fool the younger ones but not us." As t=he said this, all three of them did not notice that Sora, Riku, and Terra were listening behind the half-closed door; they told the others they forget something ("What? Your minds?" Lea had asked in a cheerful tone).

"How dare you! You know full well I cannot reveal _all_ my sources and info tippers. Besides, my vow of silent knowledge still stands, as I recall."

"We are not questioning your oaths, but it seems a little off that you would show yourself now when a crisis has commenced on a scale none of us have ever seen before. So we both wonder how good your intel really is"

"Are you saying are suspicious of my intentions? My sole purpose is to help the Keybladers. It has always been and it will always be."

"We are not calling you out as one who seeks knowledge only for his own personal gain, but you must have gotten your information from someone who has prior knowledge of this conflict."

The Keeper smiled. "You already have the answer to your question, Yen Sid."

Yen Sid though a moment, then: "it was the twins, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was."

"Alnor and Anlor and back? I thought they went off the grid after…well, after the ordeal all those years ago." Eraqus said startled.

"They've recently came across…evidence that supports the claim of the Realm War's coming."

"What evidence?"

"You'll discover it for yourself when you see them at Disney Castle."

The three youngsters were more confused now. _Who are Alnor and Anlor? _Sora pondered.

"Wait, they'll be there?" Yen Sid asked.

"Yes. It would appear the time for hiding is long gone."

"Hmm…" Yen Sid stroked his bear and then told Eraqus, "My friend, I need a private moment with the Keeper. Can you excuse us? We won't be long."

"Of course; I see you at tower's entrance."

To avoid detection, the three Keybladers silently slipped down the stairway. Of course, Yen Sid and Eraqus didn't notice this, but the Keeper had all along.

When Eraqus left the room, the Keeper began the conversation as thus:

"Sora overheard us. I think Riku and Terra did, too."

"What? Ah, those three are so much like…which can be troublesome at times." Yen Sid said in brief anger.

"Let them be. They're curious about me. It's understandable."

"I am a bit worried."

"About them, no doubt. You shouldn't-"

"Not them. About Alnor."

"Alnor? What for?"

Yen Sid paused. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…it's best I leave it be."

"Is Alnor sick? He seemed fine the last time I saw him."

"It's not about...just forget I even said anything." As Yen Sid went to leave, the Keeper block his path. He started at him right in the eye sockets.

"You're hiding something from him…and I'll bet you're sworn to silence about it. What has Alnor done that has evaded my sight and my…sources?"

"It's not for me to say."

"Why?!" The Keeper kept going on. "What has he done?!"

Yen Sid ended the debate with, "Ask him.", and left the room.

The Keeper stood alone for a little bit, then left as well, pondering the new found info that Alnor had a secret…and he surmised it had something to do with the Keybladers…

_It would appear I do not know enough about the warrior…and I fear I will get nothing more from Yen Sid…or even Anlor…since he asked Eraqus to leave, it's easy to guess that he knows nothing of Alnor's secret…What is so important that it has slipped past my eyes like the summer wind?_

He gave those thought temporary rest and joined the Keybladers. As Aqua, Ventus, terra, and Eraqus got on their Key Gliders, and the rest got into the two Gummi Ships, and the Keeper summoned his own portal, thy left for Disney Castle and what awaited them there.

* * *

A cold, hallow hall, filled with crooked statues of horrors beyond measure, two men, one bald, the other with curly hair, knelt before another man, his hair an inch long and his cloth black and dark silver, on a black marbled throne underneath the form of a terrorizing figure of some sort of heathen god.

"We have received word from our spied that the Keybladers are headed for Disney Castle as we speak." The bald one reported.

"And also, milord, the twins are nearly there themselves. What course of action do you wish to pursue upon?"

The man's devilish blue eyes like a star in the star, his slender cut body twitching all over.. His voice was soft but honeyed, like that of a witch preying upon the fantasies of a child.

"Is our army prepared?"

"We are going through preparations at this precise moment."

'I was a solid answer, Rahgar!" The lord thundered, his menacing voice echo the hall with the power of volcanoes.

"N-N-Not yet, milord. There are still one or two m-minor calculations that needed attending to."

"Hmm…I though after 20 years of preparing for this, we would be more than ready."

Rahgar knelt even lower. "The problem hasn't been finding a worthy army, milord. The problem has been-"

"-training them, I know. You would think my resurrected people would have some portion of their fighting strength and style in them after oblivion…The cretures have adapted more easily to...It matters little for the moment. I have no intention of attacking them in full force just yet."

"Milord?" The curly haired one asked.

"It would be all the more sweeter if then surrendered to them when they know of my full might."

"Milord, they are Keybladers. Surrender is not an option from them, even more for Sora and Riku."

"Even if surrender meant the worlds' safety? You know so little of them; I learned much from Alnor, even if he did leave their Order behind when he joined…well, that's neither here nor there. Sora may prove to be a most distressful contradiction, I agree. Riku…his resistance to darkness…may actual be of use to me…Well, there's one way to find out, I suppose. Prepare my transport."

"Milord?" they both inquired nervously and unexpectedly.

"We're going to pay the good little King and his 'subjects' a visit with great tidings: either surrender the worlds to my rule or perish in the storm that will be the Realm War…"


	13. Informing the King

_**Informing the King**_

If King Mickey, Queen Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Daisy, the inhabitants of the peaceful Disney Castle, didn't have any indication that something bad was happening, they got the message when Chip n' Dale came bursting into the library.

"Sire! Sire! We got an incoming ship! It isn't Gummi-class."They reported. Pluto woke up with a start.

"Easy, boy! It's okay" the king assured his faithful friend, who calmed and went back to sleep his cot.

"Are we under attack?" Donald, the king's magician, quacked.

"If it's only one ship, I don't they're attacking." Goofy suggested.

"Did you guys make out the ship's ID?" asked the King to his techs.

"That's sort of the problem, Your Majesty?" Dale said.

"What do you mean?" the queen inquired.

"Well, Your Majesty…the ship has an older ID signature. It isn't in our registration records." Chip stated.

"How can that be?" questioned Daisy. "Aren't all ships that land here cataloged?"

"Who do you it is? It can't be Sora." Goofy said.

"Or any of the Keybladers." Donald pointed out as well.

Just then, Chip n' Dale's comlink buzzed.

"The ship's hailing us. We better get back to the docking center ASAP."

As they scurried off, the King decided to follow them, accompanied by Donald and Goofy.

* * *

As the King, Donald, and Goofy walked in the docking center hub, the big screen flicked on to reveal the unknown spaceship. It wingspan was 10ft. and it armaments were twin frontal cannons and a port-side blaster.

"Gawrsh, that sure ain't a Gummi ship." Goofy exclaimed.

"What do you think it is, Your Majesty?" Donald asked Mickey.

"I suppose there's only one way to know. Answer the hail, guys."

After a few buttons clicked and switches pressed, a human face was on the screen. He had a short beard, brown eyes, and a long knotted scar. Someone was sleeping behind him in the secondary cockpit.

"Disney Castle, this is Radiant Garden Fighter 14-XP requesting permission to dock."

"Identify yourself." Demanded the King with a cautious tone.

"Radiant Garden?" The tech chipmunks thought. So did the King. The ships at the Garden didn't look like that all.

The man smiled. "You must be King Mickey. It's an honor to finally make your acquaintance. I've heard a lot about you from Master Yen Sid."

"You know Master Yen Sid?" Donald asked, now interested.

"He and I are old friends. My name is Alnor."

That rang a bang in the King's head. "Wait, you're…Alnor? _The_ Alnor? The one who left the Keybladers?"

Alnor bit his tongue. "Yeah, that's me…though there's more than that."

"What are doing here? Are you lost?" asked Goofy.

"No, actually. I need to talk to you. It's extremely urgent, and I'd like to do it face to face. Permission to land, sire?"

The King thought about it. He seemed okay for the most part. "Alright. You can land."

"Much appreciated, Your Majesty. ETA 2 minutes 21 seconds." The link then closed.

"Who is he, sire?" Chip asked.

"Someone Yen Sid trusts greatly…someone who has said has lived a terrible life…I don't know why he's here, but he wouldn't be if something were wrong. Direct him to the Audience chamber, guys. We'll meet him there. I'll go get Minnie and Daisy. Donald. Goofy. Let's go."

"Right away, Your Majesty." They said in unison, and followed him out.

* * *

"That's the King, huh? I know Yen Sid said he was short, but…" he was interrupted as he heard his brother moaning and groaning.

"Hey! You still queasy back there?"

"Are we there yet, you oaf?" Anlor said hoarsely.

"Yeah, we got clearance to dock. I figured they wouldn't recognize the ship, so it took a way…I don't think the King trusts me."

"He trusts Master Yen Sid who trusts you. shouldn't that be enough?"

"Everybody has their own opinion on somebody; it's doesn't mean they're always on the same page."

Anlor moaned again. "You get that out of a book or personal experience?"

Alnor chuckled, "Neither. From you."

"Oh, well. I'm a great teacher."

"Yeah, I know. Though you could use work on being nice."

"What?!" Anlor coughed. "I am nice! What sort of horrendous comment is that?!"

"Like how you were thought that one chick in Twilight Town about 26 years ago was an 'intriguing prospect' so you were nice to her and got your privates kneed up to your head?"

Anlor paused. "Yes, well…I suppose my first impressions need polishing."

"As does your 'womanizing' expertise."

Anlor snapped his finger magically at Alnor's ear. "_You_ need to work on being nice."

"I love you too."

"Oh, go suck on a tree for all I care."

Alnor merely laughed as he approached the underground landing platform.

* * *

In the Lanes Between, the Keybladers were only about 10 minutes out from Disney Castle.

In one Gummi ship you had Roxas, Lea, Xion, and the Keeper; and in the other you had Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Master yen Sid. Riku and Lea was both flying their respected ships. Sora's eyes never left the faces of the Keeper. He didn't trust him. The Masters apparently did, but not him. Not yet.

"We should be almost there. Hopefully nothing's happened yet." Master Eraqus said via comlink.

"Hope your right, old man." Lea answered back.

"How many times have I said already _not_ to call me that, Lea?"

"I'm at 46."

"Lea, that was rhetorical." Roxas said.

The Keeper seemed to still be considering his previous conversation with Yen Sid. If Alnor did something he didn't know about…his answers would came in time…if only time was something they had…

* * *

The King was on his throne, encircled by Donald and Goofy to his right and the Queen and Daisy to his left. As the small door opened, the chipmunks pranced in.

"Presenting Alnor the Valiant and Anlor the Remarkable!" They declared.

The two warriors walked through and approached the King.

"It is an honor to finally greet you, Your Majesty." Alnor said and bowed.

"Sucking up early?" Anlor said through thoughts to his brother, who responded with an image of kicking Anlor's ass.

"Welcome, Alnor and Anlor." said the King.

"Yen Sid has informed the King about you. He's says you arguably one of the best Keybladers of our generation, and your brother is so masterful at magic he can outdo Yen Sid himself."

"I wouldn't bet on it, Your Majesty, though I appreciate the compliment." As he bowed, he muffled a groan, which did not go unopposed.

"Are you ill, Anlor?" asked the Queen.

"No, Your Highness. Space travel still leaves me a sick. Especially with my brother's 'profound' flying abilities." That was true; he did get 'space sick' with flying, but that wasn't the cause of his pain.

Alnor got up in surprise. "Excuse me?"

"How come we haven't heard of you guys before?" Donald asked.

"Yeah, we could've used you in the fight against Xehanort." Goofy added.

Anlor paused. "Yes. Well…we had other business of importance that required interrupted attention on our part. We actually didn't hear about the conflict and its conclusion about a week ago."

"You're kidding." Daisy said.

"Lady Daisy, one thing about me you should know right off the bat; I don't joke around."

"Only when you're drunk." Alnor said under his breath.

"What was that?" Anlor asked, fully hearing his brother's remark while nobody else did.

"Nothing. Just talking to myself."

"Uh-huh.' Anlor let it go for now. "Obviously ware here for a reason, Your Majesty."

"I guessed as much. Yen Sid said you two wouldn't show up unless something bad was going to happen."

"I am afraid something _very_ bad will happen _very _soon, King Mickey."

"Is Xehanort back?" The queen asked.

"No, thank the heavens. Compared to this threat, though, he would have been a minor spark compared to the thunderstorm that comes from the east."

That drew a good of silence.

"What is going the happen?" asked Queen Minnie.

Anlor looked to Alnor, who nodded as if granting permission. "We have good reason to believe that…where should I start? Sire, how familiar are you with the prophecy of the Realm War?"

* * *

In a matter of seconds, before the Keybladers was Disney Castle.

"That's the last time we take a detour, old man." Lea said.

"Lea! Can't you ever show respect?" Yen Sid inquired in frustration.

"Sure. How do you-"

"Lea, please don't finish that remark." Roxas begged.

"What? You didn't even know what I was going to-"

"Yes, we did. We know you too well." Xion said.

"You guys are no fun."

"Cut the chatter, Lea. I'm hailing the castle now, so please, no interruptions." Aqua asked politely.

"Sure, Miss Blue and-"

"LEA!" Roxas and Xion screamed.

"Okay, okay. Geez."

The Keeper mouthed the words "Help me" to Yen Sid, who merely smiled and waved. That kind of hit a nerve for the Keeper.

"I'm getting no response." Aqua said after a few seconds.

"Do you think something happened?" Terra suggested.

"I don't know, but I don't have the override codes. Do you, Master Yen Sid?"

"I'm afraid not, Aqua. Perhaps we should-"

Everybody then heard Chip's voice. "You guys are here! Yippee!"

"You're cleared for landing. Welcome back, everybody." Dale said as well.

"It's good to be back, Dale." Sora said.

"The King is waiting for you all in the Audience Chamber. Chip n' Dale out." The comlink went silent then.

"Well, no in waiting for the worlds to end here. Let's go going." Lea said, punching his Gummi Ship it to a good 86 MPH, which had Roxas, Xion, and the keeper holding on for dear life.

"Lea, I'm going to kill yooooooou!" they heard the Keeper yelling.

"Lea will never change, will he?" Kairi said.

"Probably not. Let's go make sure everybody survives his landing." Aqua said.

The Gliders and Ships proceeded to land in the hangar.

* * *

"What exactly are you saying, Wise Anlor?" The King asked.

"I am saying, Mickey, that whether you know it or not, your castle is going to be the main battlefield from a new war."

"What is the Realm War?" Daisy asked.

"The Realm War, malady, what prophesied by a seer to the Keyblade bards some thousands of years ago. The seer foretold of a terrible event conflict that would center around a 'dazzling castle of white', so you see the connection."

"Aren't their many other castle around the cosmos that are white. How could this seer know it would be here?" the King asked.

"That's the trouble with seers; even they sometimes don't have answers to the most important questions."

"Anlor, forgive me, but Yen Sid that you possessed the gift of foresight. Have you ever 'seen' this prophecy?" the King inquired.

Anlor sighed. "My visions, sire, are different from seers. Seers can have visions of any sort various outcomes; my visions are only ones that are set to happen with or without interference. They do leave me a bit…woozy."

"That's what happened before you came here isn't it? You had a vision." Goofy figured out to everybody surprise.

Anlor chuckled. "My sources told me were you smarter than your antics. I see that even I cannot hide everything. Yes, I did have a vision before we came here. It all started when we found these artifacts…" Alnor 'pulled' out the Credulians artifacts that have come across earlier.

"Where are they from?" The King asked.

Alnor answered, "These were once the prized possessions of-"

Chip n' Dale skipped in, interrupting Alnor's explanations.

"Presenting the Keybladers: Masters Sora, Riku, Kairi, Aqua, Terra, Ventus; Keyblade Wielders Roxas, Xion, and Lea; and Masters Eraqus and Yen Sid; and the Keeper of Keys!"

The brothers were stunned; they weren't expecting the Keeper to show up with them.

They all walked in single file. Alnor looked at them all; to Yen Sid and Eraqus in renewed friendship; to Aqua, Terra, Ventus, Lea, Roxas, and Xion in proudness for their accomplishments; to Kairi in surprise as he last the lovely lady as a young baby long ago; to Riku in a unique perspective, for he had all the makings to be a great Master; and finally to Sora.

Anlor caught his brother's gaze on the boy. It wasn't a look of worry, of doubt, but of hope. The relief that he was alive; strong and a much better person than he could ever be. Of course, Sora would not remember him at all; Alnor's spell still held after 17 years.

"Alnor, Anlor…it has been a long time."

"Master Yen Sid. A pleasure as always." Anlor said and shook Yen Sid hand. Eraqus and Alnor had a stare down, which Alnor looking down somewhat; Eraqus never really forgave him for leaving the Keyblade behind to go fight with his brother. They all were watching them.

"Alnor." Eraqus briefly said.

"Eraqus…It's been a while."

Master Eraqus was fighting emotion. "Yes, it has."

"Eraqus, not here. Please." Yen Sid pleaded.

"I know, my friend. How have you been?" He then pointed to scar. "Where did that come from/"

"What, this?" he ran a finger down it. "It is my reward from trying to kill an 8(ft.) by 8 tiger in a desolate jungle about a year since I…last saw you."

"Wasn't that a fun trip? 3 days stuck on a little island with predators trying to maul us and get an early lunch?"

"Not now, Anlor…I take it these are the Keybladers I heard so much about."

"Hey, how ya doing? Name's Lea. Got it memorized?" lea extended a hand.

Anlor shook it, then whispered to Eraqus, "I like this one's spirit."

"Spirit, yes. The attitude needs major refining."

Alnor and Anlor shook everybody's hand, including the Keeper's.

"Haven't seen you two for quite a bit."

"Likewise, Keeper. Likewise. Thought you weren't one for the crowd gatherings."

"Times are changing." The Keeper quickly replied.

Then they came to Riku and Sora and Kairi.

"Ah, I've been waiting a while to meet you three. The Keeper was right, Anlor; Kairi has become quite a beautiful flower."

Kairi blushed and Sora snared a little. Riku just shrugged; girls always did like compliments, he thought.

"Your sources are these two?!' Eraqus silently asked the Keeper.

"I have more, but they are part of my main group, yes."

Anlor continued: "And Riku. Your tale has fascinated me. The only one to have a resistance to darkness. Quite a feat from someone in their teens still. Unheard of, actually. I sense great things for you ahead."

"Thank you."

Sora then approached Alnor.

"HI, I'm Sora. Nice to meet you, Alnor." He extended a hand.

Anlor though he saw his brother also let a tear go, but he blinked and there was indication there was anything of the sort. Nevertheless, he was caught off guard a bit.

"Nice to meet you, too…Sora. I've heard…absolutely wonderful things about you."

"Really?"

"Are you trying to suck up to the boy, brother?"

"I'm just saying hello."

"You said it. Over and done with. Don't overdose the icing on the cake."

"Fine. Fine." He paused. "So we are all here. Good. I can begin. Now then…"

"Uh, question; the Keeper said there would be a threat here soon." Lea stated.

"Yes, well…" the Keeper began.

"It will be here; it just hasn't come yet."

A dark and echoing voice said, "Oh, _hasn't_ it?"

After moments of twisting, turning, and saying "What the-" countless times, a black portal emerged in front of them with hollowing winds, and three men stepped forth. The on eon the right was bald with dark green eyes. A rapier was sheathed on his right side. The other one had curly hair, with eyes of mystic silver (not as dazzling as Anlor's, mind you) and wielded a staff with devilish red star designs. The third man was shrouded in a hood.

The Queen and Daisy hid behind the throne, with the other drawing their respected weapons.

Nobody attacked. Not even Alnor and Anlor.

For they had recognized the two man.

"R-R-Rahgar?! And C…Calcous?" Alnor began.

"Hello, old friend. My, it has been many a year since we last encountered you. On the Steps of Radiant Garden, which I believe is where your 14-XP fighter was built, no? Ah, those races were so fun to watch and applaud; too bad most of the pilots dies, which led to its ban. Am I right?" Rahgar said, obviously trying to anger Alnor, which was working a bit, since he was stunned and pissed.

"Now, now, Rahgar. We are not here to talk about such games of pleasure." said the one with the staff.

"You two are supposed to be dead!" Yen barked.

Rahgar looked at his body. "Do we look like a figment of the imagination?"

"We bring you a message." Calcous, the curly-haired one, hissed.

"Which is?" Anlor answered due to Alnor's continued state of shock.

"Surrender or perish." Rahgar put it simply

"Ha! Why would we do that?" Anlor answered again.

"What do you want here?" The King demanded furiously.

"The heart of this world." The hooded one said. His voice was sweet, soft, and sinister.

Alnor was blown away. He hadn't heard that voice for over 17 years.

The hooded one lifted his hood, and revealed a face that entrance any female and scare any mortal half to death.

The Keybladers cringed. Eraqus was taken aback. Yen Sid's throat constricted. Anlor was speechless.

Alnor looked on in horror.

"It cannot be…It cannot be."

"Hello, Alnor. I'm back. Did you miss me?" The 'lord' said.

Alnor was able to breathe out one word:

"Bayol."

* * *

Pronunciation Guide: Bayol (bay-ol), Rahgar (Rath-gar), and Calcous (cal-cuss)

About Alnor's fighter: Radiant Garden use to have races with star fighters (sort of like Podracing in Star Wars), but Ansem banned the sport after too many fatalities.


	14. We need an Army-a Big One

_**We Need an Army…A Big One…**_

There were eyes going back and forth at Alnor and Bayol, except for Rahgar and Calcous, who were as cool as cats.

"Who are you?" Aqua fired at the intruder called Bayol.

His wicked teeth formed a frightening smile. "Go ahead, Alnor. Tell them. Tell them who I am."

Alnor's snarl grew, as did his hold on strangling the "man" before him.

"Alnor, who is this guy?" Sora asked.

"This…man, Sora…is the man who I thought I killed over 17 years ago…The man who killed 19 men who fought for peace and harmony."

"Poetic excuses, Alnor. Your "brothers" were nothing more than glorified mercenaries."

"HOW DARE YOU! They were YOUR brothers too!"

"Were they?" Calcous inquired. "Think about it, Alnor: They were formed to keep the peace while the Keybladers were still in small numbers, and did they? Did they stay true to their course? Did they keep the peace from savages, cutthroats, would-be tyrants and conquerors, and such?"

"He has a point, Alnor. Caldnor, your dear brother, and may he rot in peace, took on a task no could accomplish. It was impossible to keep the peace. At least the way he did it." Rahgar said.

Alnor was going to charge right at them if Anlor didn't grab him in time.

"You still have a temper, I see." Bayol said, grinning.

Anlor closely surveyed the three. "You spit in our brother s name and the names of your fallen brethren. Because you, Bayol, left them in spite and took these two with you in exile?"

Bayol's veins twitched, as Rahgar and Calcous took a step back.

"SPITE?! SPITE?! You of all—" He took immediate control of his anger, and said in clam tones, "I left, wizard, because I saw the corruption infecting my "brothers" when they all ignored it. Caldnor was strong at first, but age caught up with him, along with disease. He should have stepped down and let me take charge; I would have _saved_ the Order."

"Saved?!" Alnor thundered.

Anlor's grip on him didn't loosen. "Maybe so; Caldnor was ill during the later years, but as I recall, you challenged him for the position of leading—and lost." Bayol was battling a string wave of rage at the wizard as he spoke. "Do you know why _I_ think you left? I believe you left because you couldn't best Caldnor, even in his weakened state, so you found honor in defeat and thus you left, and planned your revenge on the humiliation you received, and chose tactics of cowardice and sneak attacks to take them all down, as you did so."

"You call me coward? All you do when worlds burn is sit and pray for souls to pass safely into the next world. You do nothing when a crisis emerges. Who is the _real _coward here, Anlor the _Magnificent_?"

"You have no honor anymore, Credulian scum." Alnor whispered.

Bayol spat on the floor. "You're wrong. That day I slaughtered your fellow brothers-in-arms~to whom I claim them as my brothers no more~was the only day I through aside honor, though I did give Caldnor a warrior's death, did I not?" The twins were silently, and Bayol continued, with everybody else listening in closely. The Keeper was intensely listening, learning more about the 'traitor' that Anlor had told him so many times about before. "I come to this castle with a purpose; you are correct, you two, and even you, great Keeper. I have not forgotten you are here, and there is much I wish to gain from you."

"Not one piece of knowledge will spread from my lips into your fold, minion of darkness." The Keeper flatly answered.

Bayol smiled. "I see the rumors about you do not lack any truth. We shall see. Who else is here? Ah, the Masters Yen Sid and Eraqus; two old fools who watch the stars looking for ways to help the future. You think beating up a lost old soul looking for power that is not his for the taking is a great victory? All you have down is barely halted the inevitable. The three lost Keybladers-Aqua, Terra, and Ventus-I expected you all to be more, especially Terra. Only a dimwit would only Xehanort took take control of him…right, Riku?"

While those he slandered grew furious, he ignored their gaze and put his own on Riku. "You have a most unusual gift: a resistance to darkness. Something I myself had never seen before. Your talents could be of…use…to me."

"I walk the road to dawn and follow the Keybladers forever more. I am not a pawn of darkness."

Bayol seem impressed. "Such resolve, but a foolish notion. We are _all_ pawns of darkness, whether by choice or not." He moved on. "Now to Lea. Always holding on to promises. What happens when you can't? Will you fall? Will you burn out? You bear the blade, but do not true Keyblader. And I bet _you_ know it."

Lea seemed to be on the defensive, even with Roxas's support.

"Don't listen a word from this goon." Roxas said.

"Trying not to, buddy." Lea assured him somewhat.

"Roxas. You know, you may resemble Ventus and Sora, and claim to be your own, but your past still has a hold on you. Even with friends, you still feel hollow, empty…like a shell."

"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Xion roared.

"And the puppet. The copy of Sora. My mouth isn't worth watching, but you should take a good look at yourself. All you are is data. Nothing about you is _real._ What were Saix's words? "You are a mistake we should have never made?" Judging by your recent actions, I tend to agree with him." Xion was speechless. Bayol seemed to have everyone edge.

"And finally Sora, the great hero. Always willing to see the good before the bad. How pitiful you have become. I would have more from a runt who took out the biggest threat to the worlds had seen for a long time, but I suppose that I shouldn't be surprise. After all, how can I argue with _luck, _right?"

"Enough of this! Obviously Alnor and Anlor know you, as well as Eraqus and Master Yen Sid, but you sure are not a friend of them all, as is see. If I were you, I would get out of my castle NOW!" The King ordered with great fire in his speech.

"You have no right to speak to my lord with that tongue, rodent king!" Rahgar shot back.

"Don't bother, Rahgar. I am not offended. They are all beneath me, even the clumsy dog, the two chickens, and the rat always crying for her king to rescue her. I will not leave, little King, until I've had my say."

Alnor broke free of Anlor's grasp, but did not move forward. "I'd say you said quite enough, traitor."

Bayol sighed. "You can name me, but I am not the name. If you wish to know why I am here-"

"Firstly, we'd like to know _how_ you are _alive_. The three of you. I know Alnor and his friend killed you three."

"I did. Cutting off heads assures resurrection is out of the question."

Bayol laughed mincing, with Rahgar and Calcous chuckling.

"That is why you are a fool, Alnor the "Valiant." Darkness does not easily allow its most powerful minions to go down fighting."

"Darkness swallows all things in its path; its minions are meaningless to it." Anlor corrected him.

"Be that as it may, we were exceptions. And don't worry, Alnor; as soon as I find where our "old" friend went hiding, I make his death all the more painful as yours will be."

"Bring it on." he said, with the others in attack formation.

Bayol waved a hand. "But before we start this bloodbath, I have an offer for you."

"We want nothing of yours, fiend." The Keeper stated.

"Even if it meant the worlds' safety, Keeper? How disappointing."

They all looked at each other and back to the three suspiciously.

"Proceed." Yen Sid said.

Bayol nodded rudely. "You all know that the foretold Realm War is nearing its dawn. I have a way to prevent it from happening. I require something of yours, though."

"A Keyblader?" The King asked.

"You can't have one of us without all of us." Riku stated clearly.

"My, my. Isn't this quite the brotherhood? Brings back so many _fond_ memories…and then bad ones. No, the Keyblade is not on my interest list. Not for the moment. I require some with more…light."

Anlor caught on. "You want the Cornerstone of Light?"

Bayol clapped. "Spot on, as always."

"That sphere protects this castle. You can't have it." The Queen said.

Bayol growled. "I wasn't asking."

"Can we attack him now, Alnor?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, let's get him already. He's ticking me off." Xion said.

Alnor smiled. "It would appear the consensus is not in your favor, Bayol. Whatever you want it for, what makes you think we will abide, swine?"

Rahgar drew his sword, which alit with flame of silver and orange. While Calcous powered up his staff.

"Stand down, you two. I got this." Bayol ordered, which they obeyed groggily.

"Why, Alnor? Because, if you do not, my armies will come and wipe you all out and burn this pathetic piece of architecture to the grounds it once stood on."

There was silence.

"You bluffing." Terra said.

"I do not bluff, young Terra. Ask Alnor."

"He doesn't bluff." Alnor quickly said. "He may trick you into misinterpreting what he says, but he doesn't bluff."

"You're telling us you have amassed an army in 17 years for this precise moment?" Anlor asked.

Bayol shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much."

"How many?" Alnor asked quietly.

"That would be telling." Calcous said.

"6 million, with another million in reserve. Consisting Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, and my resurrected people."

Shock was the general theme now.

"You're lying." Alnor said.

"I thought you just told them I do not bluff." Bayol pointed out.

"Nobody has that many troopers at his command." Eraqus said.

"All the Heartless, Nobodies, and Unversed are gone." Ventus said.

"And nobody can raise the dead without a hefty price." Anlor said.

Bayol laughed outright. "Wrong on all three accounts. I _do_ have that many soldiers at my disposal, anytime and anywhere. They are _not_ all gone…yet. And my Credulians are _not_ the same as there were, but bringing them back was hard, true, but not hefty; and the price was paid by Credulia's destruction."

"It was already destroyed." Alnor corrected him.

"The landscape, not the whole world. It is…gone now…The world is no longer there…" Alnor seemed to look upon some remorse from Bayol, but it quickly evaporated. 'So, what will it be? Surrender or extermination?"

Everybody waited for the other guy to make a move, until Alnor had a thought:

"You claim you are still Credulian, correct?"

Bayol blinked. "Of course, you fool. I still have my honor and my love for my people…what's left of them that I could bring back."

"So you still abide by their customs and rules, do you not?"

"What of it?"

Alnor boasted a smile like he cornered his prey. "By Credulian Law 6, I hereby plead the case of 30 days of non-conflict."

They all looked at him funny.

"Wh-What did you say?"

Bayol was shocked, as was Calcous and Rahgar; he had completely overlooked that rule.

"Isn't that Law 6 of the Credulian Code? "An enemy shall be granted 30 days and 30 nights of no conflict to proceed with last rites and rituals with his family and friends before going to battle." You Credulians made that law after most of your enemies were wiped out; without enemies, you would always fight among yourselves, and what would happen when there is no one left fight, no honor to be gained on the battlefield? Hm?"

Bayol seemed to ponder Alnor's plea.

"Lord Bayol, you can't possibly-" Rahgar began.

"Shut up, you flamehead. I'm thinking!"

As he thought about the battle of wits in the Audience Chamber, a battle of minds was going on in his mind…

* * *

"_You can't be serious! Screw your laws! He needs the Cornerstone now! We need it now!" said a hooded warlock to Bayol. This was always a constant thing for Bayol; whenever something came up, he had to discuss it with the emissary of his new "boss."_

"_Alnor is correct. That is the Law, and I am still Credulian. I have no other option. I cannot throw away the Code I have lived by for so long."_

"_Blast it, you fool! This is war! It merits no such Code, only death and destruction!"_

_Bayol snarled at him. "You know nothing of war."_

_The hooded warlock snarled back, vanished, and reappeared just an inch from Bayol's face._

"_Do you forgot who I am?! Do you forget whom I serve, as you do?!"_

"_He is NOT my master! I struck a deal with him. Nothing more."_

_As Bayol walked away, the hooded warlock howled. "You are going to ruin it for us!"_

"_This changes little. All it does is buy Alnor time to accept the inevitable."_

"_What if he doesn't? What is he himself builds an army? No…he couldn't…he doesn't have the time or resources to do so."_

"_You underestimate him. If he builds an army, all the more fun and honorable for him. I always hated fighting small opponents."_

"_Blast your morals and ethics, savage! I do not agree with this at all."_

"_Since when did I need your approval on ANYTHING?"_

_The hooded warlock let loose a small laugh under his breath. "Do you remember what you said about ALL of us being pawns of darkness? That is more true for you, and you cannot escape it. You are my master's pawn, and you will do as he commands until the agreement is fulfilled."_

"_Here's not here now, so until I hear from him otherwise, I will concede to Alnor's request."_

_As Bayol was leaving, the hooded warlock said, 'You will doom everything you have prepared for. What we have preapared for."_

_Bayol gave him a hard look. "I prepared for war…and now I'm getting one. Suck on that."_

_With Bayol's departure, the matter was settled. The warlock was not appeased, though._

"_This had better not be our doom…we can ill afford this…"_

* * *

"I have thought very carefully and thoroughly about your request, Anlor." Bayol finally said.

"And?"

"I cannot ignore my people's laws. Your plea is accepted. Here, at this castle, you shall not be attacked for 30 days and 30 nights. On the dawn of the 31st, my armies will come and take our prize."

"You can try." Alnor said roughly.

"Lord Bayol, this is not wise." Calcous pleaded.

"My word is final. There shall be peace here. We have no more business here until the 31st day."

He launched a hand and a portal opened. When Rahgar and Calcous stepped through, Bayol turned to Alnor on last time and said, "Be well aware, though, Alnor. All of you as well. You may have peace, but that doesn't mean some of my forces will be here to...keep an eye on you. I know you will have something in store for us when we next me, my old friend. Until the 31st day, I bide you all farewell." With that declaration he disappeared and the portal vanished.

"What the hell does all of that mean?" Eraqus asked. The Keybladers, too, were searching for answers.

"Anlor, should we believe him that he indeed has _that_ many minions at his command?"

"I see no reason why I should believe his claim, but also no reason not to. Bayol is not one to just make things up; if he says he has a mighty army, you can bet he does."

He then looked at Alnor, who, while still recovering from the shock that his greatest foe was back foe the grave mysteriously, was thinking something over.

"What thoughts are on your mind, my brother?" he asked.

Alnor sighed, and looked to them all.

"Bayol is back. The Realm War has come. We cannot let him at the Cornerstone for whatever purpose he wants it for, nor do we have the strength in arms to properly defend this castle. I hate to say it, Anlor, but war indeed has called us again…we need an army…a big one."


	15. We need an Army-a Big One (Part 2)

_**We need an Army…a Big One (part 2)**_

"What the heck is going on? Can someone rewind the tape and give me a summary that doesn't make my brain go berserk?" Lea asked.

"Alnor…did we just declare war on him?" Eraqus asked.

"Correction: Bayol has declared war on us, but Alnor has bought us time." Anlor answered for him. He turned to his brother. "I don't even recall that rule. How did you remember it?"

Alnor sighed. "I briefly thought about the time Bayol and I were sent on a mission to some backwater ocean world to recover some lost property of some big time governor or something like that. To pass the time, he told me about the Credulian Code. Not all the rules, but some of them."

"I don't recall the Code having an enemy sent up camp across for their enemies while the 30 day ceasefire is active." Yen Sid stated.

"As long as there is no contact _within_ the castle walls, it is allowed. Everything beyond these walls, physical confrontation and such, is fair game."

"It would appear Bayol has all the cards in his deck. The game may already be near its end." The Keeper said.

"Let me see if I have this straight." Sora began. "Your old enemy who you killed supposedly-"

"_Did_ kill, Sora." Alnor corrected him roughly.

"Ok. He's back and wants vengeance on you, plus he wants the Cornerstone for the worlds' apparent safety, and in 30 days he will come and attack us?"

"Basically." Anlor said.

"Oh, okay. Uh…Are we screwed?" Sora asked.

"Sora!" Kairi screamed.

"It's a fair question, Kairi. By all means, we have no way to defend ourselves. We have no army at our command to aid us." Yen Sid said.

"So then, Master, we're doomed?" The King said.

"No! We have to fight!" Donald quaked loudly.

"But, Donald, they have…what did the fella say…6 million guys? We have…" Goofy counted them all. "…excluding Her Majesty, Daisy, Pluto, and Chip n' Dale, about 16 fighters."

"Yeah. And that isn't going to do us any good, even with all our skills combined. We'll be crushed." Terra said.

"I fear that we sit upon our doom, though I am loathe to even admit it." Eraqus sadly stated.

"We need an army to counter his, Master." Aqua said.

"No living force alive has enough numbers to be considered adequate for this task, Aqua." Anlor stated as his brother pondered something.

"So, how will we find an army?" Xion asked.

"We can make one." Alnor said flatly, and with a little fire in his voice.

They all turned to him.

"Alnor? What are you thinking?" asked the Keeper.

"In order to properly defend this castle, in order to prevent Bayol from claiming his prize, we need to go beyond conventional means to fight this war."

"Are you suggesting…magical means? Brother, I am powerful, as is Yen Sid, and perhaps we can get Merlin on this, but even together it would take months create such a force. And the magic it would require to do something of that scale…"

"That is precisely why those means are too out of the question. We'll have to go down more of a…scientific road." Alnor stated.

Anlor caught on. "Please tell me that you don't plane to clone an army."

"I plan to clone an army. From one of the Keybladers"

Anlor drew a hand down his face. "I said _don't _tell me that."

"You've got to be kidding." The Keeper said.

"Alnor, cloning a Keyblader is extremely dangerous. Besides the basic ethnical arguments, the products could be too dangerous to control." Yen Sid said.

"And how will you know that this preposterous idea of yours can actually work?" asked the Keeper. "It has never been done before. EVER."

"There's always a first."

"Alnor, this is madness." Anlor said.

Alnor sighed angrily. "Do you have another to deal with this? Let's analyze this for everybody's sake, okay?! Fact 1: Bayol is back. How, I wish I know. I may, but that is pointless at the moment. Fact 2: He has an army. We haven't seen it yet, but I'll bet you he really does have that many minions at his command. Fact 3: This castle is meant as a haven, not as a fortress. We have to make it one. Unless you really want to bend your knee to that swine, I suggest YOU all let me deal with this. I have not fought wars on this scale, but I know all too well the horror that major conflicts can unleash."

"Your mind and heart are corrupted from the fact the traitor has arisen, brother. Do not let your judgment damn us all." Anlor said.

That caused a stare-off. "I am not corrupted. Clouded, perhaps, but not corrupted."

"Okay, before brotherly love takes a swing, how will you clone an army, dude?" Lea asked.

Alnor backed off, but kept his gaze on his twin for a few more seconds. "Human cloning would be too dangerous; too many variables to account for." He held onto sleince until the King broke it.

"I volunteer."

"Mickey! What are you asking him to do?!" Minnie asked.

The Keybladers seemed shocked by the King's request.

"Sire…" Goofy and Donald began nervously.

"Your Majesty, I appreciate the other, but I do not feel-"

"-it is wise for my DNA to be cloned? If human blood cannot be used, why not animals? Why not mine? The Royal Knights will not stand against his horde. Besides, you just said no _human_ Keyblader can be fit for this...what am I then?"

"Mickey…" Minnie sobbed.

He patted her hand. "I be fine."

"Sire, I am still not on board with this." Alnor said.

"You should reconsider this." Anlor added.

The King sighed, and then ordered sort of rudely:

"I did not wish this. None of this did. No one could have foreseen this, even the Keeper with his wonders. As King of this castle, I am commanding you to abide my request, Alnor the Valiant. Besides, I figured that you had me in mind for the job before you made the statement. Am I wrong?"

That drew some eyebrow rises and gasped mouths. The Keeper seemed displeased but not surprised. Alnor sighed.

"Mickey, you have no right to-" Yen Sid began.

"As you wish."

"Brother! How can you-"

"We are guests in his house. We have inadvertently bought war to his door. It is only fair to abide to what he wants, and what he wants is to protect his home. So, he will do what is required. As will we." He approached the King and knelt, holding his Keyblade in a knighting stance.

"Until the conflict is done, until the last of Bayol's power is eradicated, I, Alnor the Valiant, Number 19 of the Great Order of Unity, brother of Anlor the Magnificent and Caldnor the Supreme, vow to serve you, King Mickey, until my last dying breath."

The King took it in, and then replied by drawing his Keyblade and knighting him: "I accept your oath, Alnor."

Anlor knelt next to him. "I've followed you into the fire before. I'm not stopping tradition now. If you will have me, too, Sire, I will serve you until the crisis is passed."

"Then I too accept. Rise, both of you."

"Do you think we can win, Anlor?" Yen Sid asked.

"I'm willing to try to find out."

"So what happens now?" Riku asked.

Alnor looked to them all, in a new sense of hope:

"You have all come out of the field of battle fresh off a victory against Xehanort. This is nothing like that, though; this is full scale war Bayol has declared. With the ceasefire, Bayol cannot attack us, but we must be prepared as possible for the coming storm. We will need weapons, allied, technology, and other necessities to survive." He raised his blade to the ceiling. "Here and now, starting with the Keybladers, the Alliance of Free Worlds is born. Bayol will no doubt seek to subdue the other worlds. We must prevent that."

"Shouldn't we make the army first?" Anlor asked sort of awkwardly.

"I was having a moment here, brother. You are right, of course. I'll need to speak with the Keybladers privately. Do your business with the king."

"Hold the—you want _me_ to do it? You propose this cloning nonsense and you want _me_ to do it?"

"Of course; you know much more about it that I do. I wasn't exactly good with the science stuff. You know that."

Alnor smiled and walked away with the Keybladers, leaving Anlor steaming.

* * *

"So what do want us to do?" Terra asked while they walked down the corridor to the garden.

"There are 9 of you; 3 teams of 3 should suffice. Sora, Riku and Kairi shall be one (Sora went for a high five and Riku blew him off); Terra, Aqua, and Ventus will be another (Terra and Ventus smiled at each other, and Aqua merely thought that this was going to be "fun"); and Lea, Xion, and Roxas will be the final team. Any questions?"

"Yean. Up top here." Lea said.

"Oh boy…What is it?"

"Okay, I understand that The King, Old man Sid and Eraqus, and the Keeper guy trust you. Well, I don't yet. How do we know you're not in with that creep, Bayol? How do we know this isn't a coax to get power or Kingdom Hearts or something that like?"

"Lea!" Xion and Roxas yelled.

"That wasn't nice!" Kairi said.

"Let him be, everyone. He has a right to be suspicious. You shall be consider was has transpired. Ok, Lea. I'll bite. There are some secrets I would like no one to know about, just am I am sure there are some things you people don't want your fellow Keybladers to get wind of, for whatever reason exists. Still, it's seems only fair you should know this about him."

They all sort of crept closer like they were intensively listening to a storyteller in an old castle.

"Okay. Hem-hem: I was born in Radiant Garden. My father was good friends with Ansem the Wise in more…youthful days. At age 12, I met a Keyblader, and finding me strong of heart, he conscripted me into the Keybladers. His name is unimportant for this tale."

"It was Master Xehanort, wasn't it?" Aqua asked.

Alnor blinked. "How-"

"You say his name with anger a while ago. It obvious you didn't like him and still don't. So I just put the pieces together and came up with that."

Alnor chuckled. "Eraqus is right; you are indeed resourceful. You will make a fine Master of our order, if we all survive. Yes, everyone and Aqua; it was Xehanort. I found him quite fascinating at first. Some years down the road, things change."

"How so?" Terra asked.

"Though nobody would admit it, there were flickers of a strong darkness in him. Around the time Caldnor called upon me to join the GOU, Xehanort asked me to help him find something. A weapon, he said, that would save the worlds. I should have seen long before that day on the steps of the Land of Departure that I man I adored and mentored me was nothing more than a ruse to conceal his true purpose."

"Did you refuse?" Sora asked.

"Yes, I did. He didn't take it well, the ambitious fool. I claimed there was no point in searching for powers that should not be meddled with. I though he was going senile. He was enraged. We broke off our ties that moment and I left the Order, in disregard to the requests of Eraqus and the other Masters. I soon met Bayol there; he was my...friend...for a time."

"What happened to him?" Roxas asked.

"That is a story for another time. You all have jobs to do. Picks worlds that have allies and bring them here."

"Yeah, I still don't get that. We're to recruit our friends by dragging them away from their homes?" Riku asked.

"And getting them involved in our war?" Xion asked.

"What if they can't adapt this world?" Sora asked.

Alnor sighed. "I know this is hard for you as it will be hard for them. Bayol will not risk having his enemies' allies on the outside. As cruel as it will be, it must be done for their sake."

"What about their home worlds?" Terra asked.

"Using your Keyblades, lock them up to prevent Bayol from utilizing them after you gain your allies' support."

"This all doesn't mean I still don't trust me." Lea stated.

Alnor walked away, leaving them to do their jobs, after saying: "You may not trust me, but trust me when I say that I will do whatever it takes to stop Bayol from getting what he wants, along with preventing our demise anyway possible. You have your assignments. Go, and may the Keyblade protect us all."

"Okay, who's ready to save the dang universe…again?" Lea asked to a bad response from the others. "Come on, people. Work with me here!"

* * *

There was confusion with the remaining cast when Alnor walked into the Audience Chamber.

"What's going on?" Alnor asked.

"What's going-oh, _I'll_ you what's going on. Besides the simple fact we need an army as a.s.a.p., we have no compatible equipment to make a cloning chamber. On top of that, we have _no _training grounds, _no _weapons factories-_nothing_ to counter an invasion. So, we were all wondering…what do _you_ propose?"

"Alright, calm down." Alnor said. "We can work through this."

"Have the Keybladers left already?" Eraqus inquired.

"They should be soon, if not now."

"Besides that, Alnor, how will we do this?" Yen Sid asked. "We cannot make an army in 30 days and 30 nights."

"If I can train a bunch of farmers in 2 weeks to fend off raiders, which I have, then it is very possible that we can do this. Brother, do you have you old war book on combat formations, training methods, and artillery construction?"

Alnor puffed up a very large, dusty book that had no stress on his hand.

"Good. That's that. We'll need to find some old machine parts to make a cloning chamber and lab; I'm sure there are some junkyard worlds around here that can be of use, if Bayol has not blown them up already."

"Aside from the mice clones, what about their training? There is no room big enough to be equipped and fitted for that purpose."

"We'll have to make room. Sire, I'll need access to the castle's blueprints."

"Done."

"What about armor and weapons for the clones, brother?" Anlor asked.

"Hm…I have an old contact that might help us. I'll see if he can-"

Alarms ran all over the room.

"That's the emergency beacon!" Goofy said.

"It must be Sora and the others!" Donald quaked.

"Bayol must have left a ship of some sort here to not them pass easily. Anlor, come on!"

"Huh? What about-"

"Saving them first, making soldiers LATER! Move it!"

As Anlor ran after Alnor and flew the book at Yen Sid who caught it midair with his mind, he yelled, "Why me?! I hate flying!"

"I know! But I need a good gunner and some luck!"

"What am I? Your good luck charm all of a sudden?" Anlor yelled again.

"Well, there was that time on-"

"Forget about girls and let's get going! I knew Mother should've had me as a single boy!"

"Ouch, that hurt." Alnor said.

As they left, Eraqus asked, "Are those two really our best hope for this ordeal, Keeper?"

"Besides the Keybladers? Yes, there are. And they're all we've got to stop Bayol. We might as well start preparing. What does the book say we should do first?" He replied.

"I though you don't get involved in matters such as these, Keeper." Yen Sid stated.

The Keeper shot a serious look at them. "I have my orders. Bayol must not be allowed to win. Therefore, I offer my assistance. "

"Is that what your "superiors" said?" Eraqus asked.

"More or less."

"You have bosses, Keeper?" asked the queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Though they don't show themselves. I only do what they allow me to do. Right now, I have orders to stop Bayol, so by aiding you, I can stop him. Shall we get started, then?"

* * *

"Are you strapped in yet?" Alnor asked while prepping his fighter jet.

"I am not sure it is wise for me to be in here so quickly after we landed under an hour ago."

"You'll be fine. Are the thruster primed?"

"Yes. So is the secondary power supply should primary fail."

"Okay. Initiating engines now!" The engines roared louder than a 100 lions.

"Chip! Dale! Are we clear to launch?"

"Yep. Good luck!" Dale said.

"Is there any indication on what is happening on the monitors?" Alnor asked.

"Nope. The signal's' being blocked." Chip replied.

"Brother, what do you see?"

"Not much; Bayol is clouding my mind, I believe. I can make out some shapes, but nothing beyond that."

"If it's causing the Keybladers havoc, the ship must be powerful. Hang on!"

The liftoff chamber doors all opened up, and they were off.

"Should make visual contact on 0.6 minutes." Alnor said.

"Scratch that, Alnor. Look." Anlor said on the comlink.

Beyond the world's outer layer of space, surrounding by flashes of Keyblade energies was a gigantic ship the size of 20 Olympus Coliseums.

"Holy Moley. Get a load of that. It's huge!" Alnor said.

"By the outline of it, I'd say that's a Titan-class Cruiser. Must have at least 150 auto guns and 20 compartments to hold some 30 fighters each." Anlor surmised.

"I thought they all died out years ago. Production costs were too much." Alnor commented.

There were buzzes and odd sounds being heard. "Damn! I'm getting interference on all systems. That thing's punching out huge wavelengths of jamming signals." Anlor said.

"Well, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"Shut up, Alnor, and get the guns ready."

"Right. Range to Target?"

Anlor clicked a few buttons to stabilized the interference. "Which ones? The ship's spreading fighters all over the Keybladers. They won't last long out there."

"See if you can isolate a fighter and analyze it."

"Copy that." He picked out one firing at Terra's Gilder. "Hello."

"What? What? What've you got?"

"Bayol's' been a busy bee. Not only do each ship bear the Credulian mark, these ships have advanced weaponry and defense systems that I haven't seen before. The models are at least 10 years ahead of anything we got now. Looks like there are driven by AIs."

"They have the tech, but I have the brains. Hang on!"

"For what?"

He probably shouldn't have said that.

Alnor did a nose dive and a few insane twists and turns while blasting out some dozen fighters.

"Please don't ever do that again. I want to keep my intestines _inside _my body!" Anlor roared to the top of his lungs.

"Duly noted. Radiant Garden Fighter 14-XP to all Keybladers. We'll try to keep these guys off your tails. Get to your worlds and go!"

"Where the heck were you guys 5 minutes ago?!" Lea asked through the comm channel. "The Gummi ships are barely holding up out here!"

"The Gilders aren't doing too much, either." Ventus noted.

"Is this one of Bayol's ships?" Sora asked.

"Looks like it. We'll distract them. Get going! XP-14 out!"

"You think this ol' bucket of bolts can hold up against them?' Anlor asked after they narrowly dodged two torpedoes.

"Hopefully." An alarm sounded through the cockpit. "Are we being targeted, by chance?"

"Yes. By the Titan-class Cruiser. Evasive manners, if you don't bloody mind!"

"Roger that!"

It was like a chicken running away from a farmer. Eventually, you will get caught.

The cruiser's cannons got a good chunk on the left wing, along with disabling the frontal particle cannons. Then a second blast knocked out the the left engine.

"We're hit again! We're losing power!" Anlor yelled.

"Are they away?!' Alnor asked.

Anlor saw the Gummi Ships and Gilders enter the Lanes in Between. "They're off. Hopefully they know where to do."

"They'll figure it out. Ready for ejection?"

"No, but let's get it over with, please."

Alnor wept. "Oh, if father we here, he'd have my head for this!"

They ejected right before a series of several bolts of energy shattered the jet into pieces. Of course, the fighter saw that the two pilots were floating with drawn weapons.

"For the record, the ship lasted 20 years longer than the warranty, so you own me 500 Munny." Alnor said, using a magic bubble to breath in outer space.

Anlor seemed a little ticked. He was covered in a magical aura than manifested its own oxygen. "Can we ignore pointless bets and start _scraping_ these things?!" He attack the incoming ships.

"You still owe me that Munny." Alnor added before entering the fray.

While he sliced and diced through the ships with his Keyblade, Anlor saw several reinforcements coming in.

"FULMINE!" he cried, and great bolts sprung from his staff struck the ships, disintegrating them.

"We can't last long out here." Anlor added after taking out several more targets with fire and ice.

"Oh? Do you have a replacement ship in your pocket?" Anlor inquired.

"No."

"Then keep-" he never finished; a particle laser ripped through his armor on the right shoulder.

"ALNOR!" Anlor screamed, blasting magic bolts at any ship that got in his way to his brother.

Alnor was still breathing for the bubble was not worn, but he was unconsciousness from the blast. Fresh tears in his eyes; he unleashed his anger by releasing a powerful spell.

"IRA DEI CIELI!" he thundered, and storm clouds blocked out the stars, releasing massive bolts of lighting and firestorm tornadoes which destroyed the cruiser and fighters outright. It was over in a manner of seconds.

Anlor caught his breath for a few he released a little more energy than he wanted to to cast the spell.

"Hey." Alnor whispered in pain. "Why didn't you do that before?"

Anlor smiled. "I may be magnificent, but my powers take a toll on me like any magician will tell you. Spells like that should be use only under…emergency circumstances."

"Was this such?"

"No; this was a simple matter of a veteran wizard making a rookie mistake, letting his emotions loose."

Alnor surveyed the scene. There was scrap metal afloat everywhere. "Well, we won, and you see fine now. Plus, I think we have enough parts here to fuse together a cloning chamber, provided we get the right equipment."

"I can make due. I'll pick up the parts later. Come, you need to heal. The wound could be infected."

"Yes, mom." Alnor said, to which Alnor smacked him lightly on the head.

"I wasn't going to die, you know."

"I know. Still, with you, you've had close calls." Anlor stated.

"Does this mean I owe you for saving me?" Alnor asked softly.

"Mm…I'll put it on the house this time."

As they neared the interior of the world, guided by Anlor's magic, Alnor said, "You still owe me 500 Munny."

"Bite me." Anlor replied with a smirk.

* * *

On his black throne, viewing a crystal ball in his hand, he had witnessed the destruction of the cruiser he had sent to keep an eye out on world by Anlor's mighty magic. Calcous and Rahgar were kneeling in despair and intense nervousness.

"Anlor the Magnificent, indeed. I see know why he was merited such a title. The _Skakavcu's_ demise is of no consequence. Calcous, order the _Zloba_ to patrol where it predecessor fell."

"Y-Yes, my lord, at once." He scurried away. It was silent for a while.

"Rahgar!"

"Lord Bayol."

"Have you found the items I requested you to get?"

"I have retrieved samples of Atlantean water and earth from Pride Land, but the third is a little tricky to get a hold of."

"I figured as much. Deal with as soon as you can." He looked back to his crystal sphere. "They are splitting up into threes. Interesting… Ružan!"

The twin doors at the end of the hallow and chilly hall opened, and a hunchback of a creature, clothed in blood red attire, walked forth until he knelt as best as he could to his master.

There was a coldness and sluggish tone in his voice, along with brief stuttering. "Your b-bidding, M-Master?"

"The Keybladers have split up. Track their movements as best as you can and report your findings to me as soon as possible."

"Y-yes, M-Master."

As he was walking away, Rahgar asked, "My lord, forgive me, but why do you worry yourself with them? Whoever they find will be of no assistance to them when the storm breaks in 30 days."

Bayol seemed entranced by his crystal ball, being oblivious to Rahgar's comment. Then:

"My old friend, you are sometimes quite foolish in your thinking. Alnor believes I will coerce their allies in joining me and utilizing their lands for my own purposes. He wants to gather all the heroes of the land to one place where they can best defend. He right, you know; at least almost. He still no has idea what my plans are, and thus he and his brother are trying to read my every move, which won't work. So, he will recruit who he can, where can, even as futile as the notion is."

"I know these will belong to…_him_, my lord, but they have no army. How can they defend themselves with only heroes?"

"Oh, I imagine they will turn to science or something of that sort to aid them. They are resourceful; we both know that _very _well."

After a second, Rahgar considered what he wanted to say, and: "My lord, forgive me again, but why did you grant them the 30 days? Why not simple take what we wanted and waste this time preparing for a pointless war?"

Bayol's head slowly turned to Rahgar, who gasped for air as Bayol pulled him forward with his dark arts and clutched him by his miserable throat.

"Wretched fool. Do you think I let the traditions of my people simple go to the torch?! Impossible! I am a Credulian and I am proud of it! There has always been some speculation on some rules of the Code, but the core itself has never been questioned! EVER! The ceasefire is part of my tradition; hence, I abide by it, pointless or not! DO not forget it, swine!"

He launched Rahgar some 50 feet from the throne (The hall itself was 800 by 100 feet).

"Besides…" Bayol bellowed in a minor tone. "I am still concerned about my army's training methods. _Your _training methods. They haven't impressed me very much. Plus, as you saw, our ships need major improvements. I will not be careless here; that is the heel of all tyrants. Can you assure me, here and now, that our numbers alone can defeat them?"

Rahgar slowed walked back to his master, holding his elbow. "No."

"And why not, Flame?"

"Because numbers do not decide a battle's outcome; only the minds do."

"Exactly. So, I want their training exercises to increase 5 fold. That includes all the creatures well. Is that clear?"

"Yes, milord."

"Good. You can go."

As Rahgar exited, Bayol studied his crystal ball one more time before he summoned it away and endured another conversation with his friend in his head while his outer body seemed to fall asleep on the throne…

* * *

"_I agree with you on one thing: we cannot be careless. That is why we should ignore the ceasefire and attack!" The hooded figure said, his red eyes seeming menacing to anybody buy Bayol himself. _

"_I gave my word; I am honor bound to keep it. As I said, you know nothing of my people and their beliefs. What's done is done. I will prepare for war. Besides, the war is technically going on at Disney Castle, even if I am leaving a cruiser and a basecamp there to keep an eye out on them. Every other world is fair game."_

"_You plan to bribe their leaders, no?" The figure asked with a glow of wicked genius._

"_No so much as bribe as letting them…"misinterpret" information."_

_The figure considered a response, but moved on. "Our plans must not fall apart. The Keybladers must fail in their missions."_

_Bayol seemed agaped at the comment. "Fail? Seta, Keybladers don't fail; you know that as well as I. They persevere. For every world they are at, they will be tested-all of them."_

"_You WANT them to succeed? What rubbish is this, Credulian?!"_

_Bayol smiled. "You misinterpret me, Seta. They won't win the war, but I will allow they to believe they have a shot at winning it. Then, when it seems like they have all the chips on their side..."_

"_Hope is a powerful motivator." Seta added._

"_Hope, like love, can be crushed. I intend to do so with my own two hands." _

_Seta thought for a moment. "You said they will be tested. Are you planning to recruit Riku to our cause?"_

"_That cannot be done. He will stay true to his friends. Even I cannot dissuade him. Still…"A dreadful idea emerged. "…I can use his most extraordinary talents for a little errand I am stuck on."_

"_Which is?"_

"_Later. The hunchback returns. I'll talk with you in the near future, worm."_

_As Bayol vanished, Seta lifted his hood, revealing a tattooed face with a head of dark fire hair. _

"_You call be an insect, but I am not the one crawling in cowardice, Brave Bayol."_

* * *

"M-Master? Are y-you w-well?" asked the creature.

Bayol shifted. "Just a bit tired, that's all." He rubbed his eyes and added, "What have you to report?"  
The hunchback gave his lord some papers. "From o-our in-intellig-gence, we h-have t-track-ked down three o-of t-them. T-their locat-tion is on t-the re-report."

"Hm…" Bayol summoned his crystal ball back. "I see…send Rahgar to their location. When you find another team of them, inform me at once so I can send Calcous to them. The third—Sora, Riku, and Kairi—will be left to me. I'll confront them _personally._" His demented laugh tilled the halls like an terrible organ, and it seemed that the demons carved out of the black marble danced to his voice.

If the Keybladers thought Bayol was another nutcase, they would examine him again more closely when his tricks caught them off guard…


	16. Vocab Guide

_Vocab Guide_

**Credulian (translate from Croatian in reality)**

_/_Munja- _Lightning/_Dviknuti- _Hail/_Lavina- _Avalanche_

Vatra- _Fire/_ Vatrena- _Firestorm_ Paklenom Ognju- _Hellfire/_Vihor- _Whirlwind_

Plamen- _Blaze/_Potres- _Earthquake/_Tama- _Darkness/_Vječna Tama- _Eternal Darkness_

Talas Plime- _Tidal Wave/_Ledena Kiša- _Freezing Rain/_Vulkanska Erupcija- _Volcanic Eruption_

This is the end.- _Ovo je kraj._ It has begun.- _Počelo je._

The prophecy will be fulfilled.- _Proročanstvo će se ispuniti._

**The Old Language (translate from Italian in reality)**

Fireball- _Bolide/_Avalanche- _Valanga/_Mist- _Nebbia/_Volcanic Blast- _Vulcanica Esplosione_

Lighting- _Fulmine/_Wrath of the Heavens- _Ira del Cieli/_Hurricane- _Uragano/_Typhoon- _Tifone_

Earthquake- _Terremoto/_Rock slide- _Frana/_Petrify- _Pietrificarsi_

Into the breach!- _Nel violazione!/_Take this!- _Prendi questo!/_Not today.- _Non oggi._

Tonight we fight and win or die trying. Either way, it all ends tonight. All of it. - _Stasera abbiamo combattere e vincere o morire provandoci. __In entrambi i casi, tutto finisce stasera. Tutto._

**Names of Bayol's Ships(Credulian-Croation)**

_Ružan_- Ugly(Bayol's hunchbak servant)

_Skakavcu_- Devourer/_Zloba_- Malice/_Voznesenje_- Ascension/_Užas_- Horror/_Zloban_- Vicious/_Tama __Uzašašće_- Drakness Ascension/

_Oluja_- Storm/_Pustošenje_- Desolation/_Spaljivanje_- Incineration/_Glasnik_- Herald/_P__okolj_- Carnage/_Lovac_- Hunter/_Grozota_- Abomination


	17. The Land of Dragons

_**The Land of Dragons**_

_**(Play with Fire and you will get burned)**_

The team of Lea, Roxas, and Xion were already on course for the first world: the Land of Dragons, the place where Sora and company met Mulan, Captain Shan, the Emperor, and the always enigmatic Mu Shu. Little did they know that one of Bayol's sentry ships spotted them and reported its findings to central command at the Bastion, where the hunchback had reported the news to his lord Bayol, who assigned Rahgar to follow them.

"Alright. Let's get this straight for those who absolutely don't have a clue of what is going on!" Lea said while flying the Gummi ship.

"You mean for you, right?" Xion asked.

"Don't tell me you two actually have a clue to what's happening!" Lea yelled, almost hitting an asteroid before Roxas and Xion yelled back at him to watch where he was flying.

"Well, we know that the enemy…Bayol, was it…used to be a friend of Alnor like the other two guys with him." Roxas began. "They obviously want the Cornerstone for something very bad, and we have to prevent that. So, Bayol has declared war on us and inadvertently on the worlds until he gets what he wants, which-"

"Which we still don't have any clue about. I mean, I don't believe that guy, even though I know little to nothing about him, would go through all this trouble to get one lousy Cornerstone. What's his endgame?" Lea asked.

"I wish we knew, Lea. Still, in order to counter Bayol, we have to gather our friends and bring them to Disney Castle, which will most likely be the main battleground for the war, since what Bayol wants is there."

"I still do not trust that man, The Masters can praise him all they want, but I still have a bad feeling about him. There's something he not telling us. Who's to say he's in cahoots with the Bad Boy gang and wanted this war to happen?"

"I feel you Lea, but if Alnor was on Bayol's side, wouldn't have he given the Cornerstone to Bayol when he arrived?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah, I suppose. I am telling you two, though: this all smells of rotten apples."

A few _Bleeps_ for the navigation grid told the party that they had arrived at the Land of Dragons.

"Well, we're here. Let's hope they are willing to help us."

"The problem will be persuading them of what's coming. I fear the only way they will listen is if Bayol sends some of his minions here and we engage them."

"Why is it when something good happens to us, they has to be something bad that immediately follows?" Xion asked.

Lea and Roxas looked at each other and shrugged as Lea prepared to land the ship.

Unbeknownst o them, Rahgar was watching them land from atop a snowy mountain. The cold did not affect him.

"So, they came at last. Perfect. Let us see, then, if they are as truly fierce as we have been told, and if the residents here are willing to aid them…which I highly doubt after the good Emperor accepts my offer. Willingly or not." He laughed wickedly as he disappeared into a portal of darkness. His voice trailed as it said, "Let us see, now, if both the warriors of the land and the Keybladers can go one-on-one with my master's mighty forces. The best warriors in all the worlds: The Credulians reborn!"

* * *

Lea slowly and carefully landed the Gummi ship in a clearing filled with bamboo trees and an assortment of shrubs. They gazed at their surroundings as they exited the cockpit.

"Wow. Would you look at this place? It's so...so..."

"Boring? Tedious? Uneventful?" Lea wise-cracked.

"This place looks awesome, Lea. How can you be so down? Look around you!" Xion said, twirling around and tumbling into Roxas which cause them to be both knocked down.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't believe I'm the one who's _down._" Lea cracked and walked down the dirt path ahead of him.

"Sorry." Xion said.

"Hey, no harm." Roxas said with a brief moment of blushing. They both rushed after Lea and caught up with him about a few hundred feet down the path.

"So, where do you gather these friends of Sora are?" Lea asked.

"No clue, Lea. They could be-" Roxas began but didn't finish for at the time an explosion was heard and smoke rose from a few leagues away.

"Okay, either someone had an accident or Bayol's 'boys' are here." Lea stated.

"Why don't we find out?" Roxas said while drawing his Keyblade and to the site.

"Sora and Roxas may be two different people, but they share the same stubbornness." Xion stated.

"That didn't do Xehanort any favors, if you recall." Lea said with a smile.

"No, it didn't...but it didn't save Namine." Xion said with a tear running down her cheek.

"Hey, hey. Don't get sentimental on me know." Lea said as he padded her on the shoulder. "She made her choice, kid. Once somebody makes up their mind on a life or death situation and won't be swayed, it's tough to deal with, but it is what it is. All we can do now is fight this new foe and win. I believe Namine would want us to do that."

Xion sniffed. "Really?"

"I knew her longer than you kids did. I have a better understanding of what she would think."

Xion gave a playful push to Lea. "You mean when the Organization kidnapped her, right?"

Lea smiled and drew his Keyblade. "Different time and place, Xion." He raced after Roxas with Xion right behind him.

* * *

They caught up with, but didn't know why he was standing stunned until they say what he saw; in a great field of small grass a great battle was raging on, with warriors bearing different styled banners, weapons, and armor. It was unfortunately clear that the imperial army of the Middle Kingdom was getting decimated by the hundreds from this foe of zombie like warriors who did not fight like zombies at all; their movements were almost human. Almost.

"Which one is Mulan?" Lea asked.

"Well, Sora said she was one of the bravest in the army. It can't be too hard to find a woman in this fight."

"This isn't a fight at all, guys; this is a massacre. Bayol was right; his army is pretty damn good. If they're handling these guys as well as they are, I doubt Alnor and his wiz twin can forge an army equal to this." Lea stated with a slight notion of dread.

"Are you scared?" Roxas inquired.

"Scared? Ha! I can take these posers!" Lea said and charged into the fray.

"I think its _your _turn to save him, Roxas." Xion said and pushed him along.

Roxas was going to object but knew better than to argue with her, so he went after Lea who was already clobbering a good handful of the heavily armored, somewhat undead warriors. The imperial soldiers took notice to the newcomers with great interest and caution, as did the commanding officers, Mulan and General Shang, along with their subordinates Yao, Ling, and Chien-Po, looking onward from the main camp.

"Hey, sir. Who are the three show-offs over there?" Yao asked General Shang.

"Good question." The general answered. He gasped as soon as he caught a glimpse of their weapons. "Mulan, their blades...aren't those-"

"Yes, I think they are, Shan. But...I do not recognize Sora among them." Mulan said with worry. "Perhaps they are friends of his?"

"Perhaps...they may be fighting this...foe...but are they are allies or rogue...uh...what was it Sora was now?"

"A Key-collector!" Ling answered.

Yao knocked him on the head. "You dummy! He's a Key-swordsman!"

"I'm no dummy!" Ling pushed back. They would have gotten into it had Chien-Po not separated them.

"Calm yourself, friends. Let's not fight amongst ourselves while we are engaged in a battle." He looked to them general. "I believe the answer to your question is 'Keyblader', sir."

"Thank you, Chien-Po. Go check on the wounded for me, please. I need to know how many to evacuate if this continues as it is going."

"Yes, general." As Chien-Po saluted and walked away, Yao and Ling eyed him suspiciously and asked the general if they could check on the wounded too-because they felt Chien-Po would eat the rations too quickly.

"Yes, you both might as well. Dismissed." With the general's permission for them to leave, they happily went after their comrade.

"The early reports said they were men...they don't look like Heartless at all, Shang." Mulan observed.

"I feel the same way. We may have to evacuate the palace after along, along with the continued evacuation of the outlining villages if the worst come about."

"I hope it doesn't, Shang." She felt a breeze and noticed Mu Shu climbing on top of her shoulder.

"Is it over? Are those bad boys gone yet?" He asked nervously.

"I'm afraid not, Mu Shu. But we have some...unexpected company."

Mu Shu jumped for joy to the ground. "Hooray! I knew Sora and the gang would be a coming to the rescue! Let's celebrate!"

"Mu Shu, we haven't yet, Besides...Sora's not here."

Mu Shu stopped and frowned. "Then who is?"

Mulan shrugged. "I...don't really know."

Mu Shu got back on her shoulder and saw the other Keybladers getting the better of a section for the invading army. "Well, if they're fighting those night-crawler thingies, that's mean they ain't on their side. That's good for us, right?"

"An enemy of our enemy may still be our enemy, Mu Shu." Shang stated.

Mu Shu coughed. "Yes, well, let's see what they do, huh?"

"That's the plan." Mulan said. A few minutes later, Shang went to look at the battle map near his tent, and Mulan and Mu Shu joined him.

15 minutes later, the 'Credulians', for the imperial army did not disdain their true identity. retreated due to the superior advantage of the Keybladers, since they had not fought such foes before. The three then approached the camp but were stopped by guards, one clearly an officer, while the soldiers bore bandages on their arms and legs. Some wore fresh bandages and some wore worn ones.

"Identify yourselves, strangers!" The officer ordered.

Lea answered, to Xion and Roxas's obvious objections. "Hi, I'm Lea. The spiky haired blonde is my pal Roxas, and the girl is Xion. We need to see the Emperor, if he's available."

The soldiers seemed shocked by Lea's request. "Our Emperor never comes to the fields of battle. He is our Emperor; it would be unwise on many accounts."

"Because he's old?" Lea said with a smile that was not amusing to the soldiers. They twitched a little.

"LEA!" Xion yelled at him.

"What? What? What'd I do?"

Xion gave him a stare and added to that with the 'hands on the hip' movement. "Let me do the talking, okay? Remember when you'd try to reason with that copy of Vanitas at the Keyblade Graveyard? Did that go well?"

"That's was a _copy_, Xion. These guys here have hearts. Honesty flies better here than it did there."

"I was a copy. I have a heart. And your honesty is good but sometimes it goes a bit too far. Let me do the honors, Lea, before we're fighting a war on _both _sides."

Lea was caught with his pants down. "Okay, do the lady's touch, if you so insist."

"Thank you." She approached the soldiers and asked gently, "Is Fa Mulan around? We're friends of Sora."

One of the guards looked to a soldier a patch over his eye. "Inform Commander Mulan that the 'guests' seek an audience with her and General Shang."

"Right away, captain." And he was off.

"What's with the whole 'Fa' thing?" Lea wondered.

Xion sighed. "For the _third_ time, Lea, as Sora explained to us a while back, it is customary on _this_ world for the family name to go before your own name."

"Okay, so mine would be..." He stopped when he noticed they two were very interested in what it was. "You know what? Scratch that. It's not worth it."

"Oh, come one, Lea. You afraid we will make fun of you?" Roxas inquired while Xion giggled.

"Yes! Is that a problem?" Lea blasted at them. He didn't have time to answer for the solider with the eye patch came back. "Captain Heng," he began. "Permission granted."

"Very well." Captain Heng looked back to the Keybladers with his stern eyes of emerald coloring. "You may see the Commander and general. No funny business. We've lost a lot of lives in the past half-hour, and we don't want to add any more. Understood?"

"Yes, sir." Xion replied.

"Sure thing, pal. We took them out for you, so no worries." Lea said with a smile and twirled his Keyblade with fancy movements in the process of speaking.

The captain scuffed. "That was the vanguard you three fought out there. The main army's reported to bring 4 times the size." That feeling sank into the three like an anchor. As the soldiers escorted them into the camp, they saw the damage the Credulians had done first had.

The camp was about 30 tents long and 50 wide, encircling a flat area of a good half a mile. Many men were moving around doing duties from washing clothes to cooking food fast, helping with the wounded, and so forth. The men looked at the Keybladers with puzzled looks, gazes of awe, and cautious facial expressions.

Captain Heng continued to talk while scratching at his beard. "Even so, we're lucky you guys intervened when you did. Our losses have been, as you can see all around us...staggering is the understatement of the year. We were told by villagers in the outlining villages and our own scouts that the invading army were all men. When we first marched over here and saw them at a good distance...as you saw, they weren't men at all. Would you guys know what those..._things_...were?"

Xion looked to Lea and Roxas with a look of 'how much do you tell that they will actually understand'. "I'm afraid not, Captain. Is the army still fit enough to fight?"

"HA! Fit, the young lady asks. No, not at the moment. General Shang has ordered further evacuation of all villages from the battleground here onwards;these things move faster than our forces can handle." Xion gulped; it seemed Bayol was joking after all.

They soon came to a tent larger than the ones they walked by. This tent had a bug, bulky soldier on one end and a skinny one on the other.

"Major Chien-Po, Major Ling, the 'guests' are here." The Captain said and motioned to the Keybladers.

Chien-Po and Ling looked at them oddly, then Ling thought about something for a second and nodded to Chien-Po, who entered the tent.

"I know everybody's a bit on edge," Lea whispered to Roxas and Xion,"but why is everybody looking at us like were...I don't know...wierdos?"

"They don't see Keybladers _that _often, Lea." Xion pointed out at the lowest voice level possible to hear.

"Plus, if some unusual force just saved you from another unusual force, wouldn't you be in ice?" Roxas said.

"How is it that _you two_ can grasp anything and know it like a book while I'm the one stuck in the air?" Lea asked angrily.

They both smiled. "Perhaps our brains are just more _developed_ then yours." Roxas said.

"Ooohhh, nice one." Lea said, not impressed. "You two would make a good couple."

"LEA!" They both said while noticing they were both blushing because they looked at one another immediately after they called out Lea (a little bit loudly, I might add, though the soldiers didn't hear them), and turned away quickly in shock and embarrassment.

"_Now_ who's on ice?" Lea said. I think it is safe to say (Hi again, it's the Watcher telling you the story, so don't forget that in case you were wondering who is telling you all of this in the past tense) that Roxas and Xion would had knocked the living bells out of Lea had not Chien-Po come out, say something to the captain softly, then returned to his post. the captain looked back at the three and said, "They'll both be with you soon. You men, return to the camp entrance and keep an eye out for stranglers...or the main horde." They saluted and ran off.

Three minutes after the soldiers left, a handsome man in armor, a lovely woman, and a red lizard...ok, fine..._small dragon_...out of the tent and greet the trio.

"I'm General Shang. This is Fa Mulan, the Hero of China."

"Hey, guys. thanks for kicking the tails on those half-human, half zombie warrior freaks.' Mu Shu said.

Shang sighed. "That's Mu Shu."

"Yeah, we've heard of you from Sora...said you were...uh..._energetic_...what that the word he used?'  
Lea asked.

"I think so." Roxas replied.

Mulan gasped. "Oh, so you three do know Sora. How is he? Did he find his friends?" Mulan asked, having not seen Sora since he came to the Land of Dragons over a year ago.

"Yeah, he did..." Xion began. "He would be here, but he asked us to come due to...recent events."

Mulan and Shan looked at each other. "Please, come into my tent." He whispered to Chien-Po, "No one is to disturb us _unless_ the enemy is here. Is that clear, Major?"

"Yes, sir."

As the Keybladers got comfortable in the tent, with had a smaller of the map on the table near the camp entrance, two chairs, a jug of water, and a bed, Shang began the conversation. "Has something happened to Sora?" he asked.

"Not yet." Xion She got the nod from the boys to state what had happened. "I'm afraid to say that you guys aren't the only ones at war right now. What's worse, we need your help. You see, about a little while ago..."

* * *

From his spot on the mountaintop, looking down with his keen eyes, Rahgar saw all that was transpiring on the ground below while some Credulian Swordsmen and Archers picked and digged away at the mountain, with the intent on digging and drilling for something of interest to Rahgar...or in this instance and any other for that matter, their Lord Bayol.

Though he was pleased that the imperial army had been weakened severely, Rahgar was furious with how the vanguard was man-handled by the Keybladers; this was a big step backward from the Credulians' development of warfare. Rahgar knew full well that if Lord Bayol would have seen this in person, even though he probably saw it anyway from his magical crystal ball, he would not be at all on the 'happy' side of things. He needed to switch this affair around and quickly, before...

His thoughts went astray as a Credulian Overseer, a creature that wields two swords and bears a full set of armor, including a scale helmet with a metal mask that covers his face completely so nobody can see his hideous facial features, along with his other hideous external features. This thing looks after its assigned group of Credulian warriors, approached Rahgar and spoke something to him in the native tongue of Credulian culture. Rahgar took the report with great stress.

"It is only a matter of time before the fools realize what we are doing, or found a lone warrior of ours and tail him back here. Is there any report from-?"

The Overseer shook his head, his scale helmet making a rattling sound.

"I see." Rahgar gazed down at where the battle had been, there took a deep breath. "I wish I knew why Lord Bayol wants the prize so badly, but I will not be the one to question his motives. My head is fine where it stands now. Alright, Overseer. Continue to operate as instructed. Relay that to the other outposts as well. I want it found as quickly as possible, and I _don't_ care, as I stated very clearly before we came to this ghastly place, that collateral damage is irrelevant."

The Overseer continued to speak in his native tongue. Rahgar raised a hand for the...thing...to stop its rant.

"You seem to forget, my friend, that Lord Bayol gave me full control of how to utilize you Credulians, so I am utilizing you as _I _see fit. Is that a problem?"

Though frustrated, the Overseer didn't speak.

Rahgar clasped his hands together. "Wonderful. Carry on." He went back to his sightseeing.

Thought displeased, the Overseer commanded his fellow Credulians to carry on with their mysterious work.

* * *

"...and that's where we stand now." Xion concluded. Dismay would be accurate to convey the emotion on Mulan, Shan, and Mu Shu's faces. Yao had rejoined his friends outside the tent, but they did not hear the conversation at all.

"So...this is all part of some...world war?" Shang finally asked after gathering up the information he was given as best as he could.

"_Galactic _would be the more appropriate word choice." Lea sated.

"As far as we know, this is only one of many place Bayol is targeting in his quest for domination." Roxas added on.

"Sweet Golden Dragon of Unity! This is so out of whack...and it all had to start after the wedding..."

"The-_who_ got married?" Lea asked. Mulan smiled as did Shan. The two younger ones caught on but Lea was still behind a few seconds.

"Congratulations! Sora did mention you two had a thing." Xion said. Lea gave her a look, to which she replied, "He _did__, _Lea."

"You are sort of embarrassing them, Xion." Roxas said, but Mulan stopped the fuss.

"It's alright. I guess it is something you have to guess use to. I admit, I admit I am still surprised that we got to where we are now. Still, Mu Shu's right; it is indeed a bad omen that something like this would happen."

"Well, with us here, I'm sure-" Before Roxas to the 'I'm sure' part, a horn blasted loud and clear, indicating that something was coming in the direction of the camp. Something _very _ bad.

"Tha main horde of those things must be here!" Shang said, grabbing his sword and rushing out of the tent, with Mulan right on his tail, and Mu Shu on hers. The Keybladers followed. A great commotion of men moving injured men and weapons around was visible from 50 yards out.

"Where's your main army?" Lea asked.

Shang took a deep breath before turning back to Lea and answering, 'You're _looking_ at it."

Lea was stunned. "_This _is all that's left?!"

"Including seven hundred reserve soldiers at the palace, yes." Mulan said, ashamed.

"Captain Heng wasn't exaggerating after all." Xion said with a note of 'how can we win' in her statement.

"Captain Heng _never_ exaggerates." Mulan added.

"Majors Po, Yao, Ling!" 'China's noblest and best soldiers' came tumbling out a tent on to each other and arguing about some trivial matter about something medical before Shan ordered them to get over to him on the double, which they obliged and responded quicker than a bolt of lightning.

"SIR!" They all saluted.

"Get whatever men are fit enough to fit at them get to the front lines AT ONCE!" Shang ordered.

As they left, a scout came running to Shang's position, nearly collapsing of depleted oxygen (he couldn't breathe; it just sounds cooler that way...it doesn't? Well, how would you know? Are YOU telling the story? No? Then shut that gob, sit back, and listen! Thank you!).

"Sir! Report from the front. The opposing army is marching fast! They will overrun us in minutes! What do we do, sir?!" Then he collapsed. Shang ordered two spare men to drag the scout to the medical part of the camp. He turned to the Keybladers.

"I don't believe we can help you with your war anytime soon. If you help us win ours, though, we'll go to the Emperor and discuss it from there."

Lea nodded. "Sounds like a plan." Then in gauged his blade in to the ground then looked up to Mulan and Shang with piercing fire in his eyes. "Show me where the goons are."

* * *

"What do you mean "I need to pull back."?! Have you forgotten Lord Bayol himself sent me here to retrieve his prize?!" Rahgar blasted at Calcous, who had come with some reinforcements, a thousand or so, to check on Rahgar's progress.

"I was there when he gave you the orders, you twit. He finds, though, that unless you can assure His Most Esteemed Excellency (other name for Bayol to them) that the Keybladers will not cause your search to be delayed indefinitely, then you are to come back here at a future date and time."

"I"M CLOSE! I AM, YOU HELL-SPAWN BASTARD! It IS here; it WILL be found; and I will bring it back to Lord Bayol BY MYSELF! These Credulians work MUCH better than Heartless or Nobodies ever will in these matters...more, even! So unless I say so, I will NOT pull back until our master's prize is located. AM I UNDERSTOOD, WORM?!"

During his rather agonizing account, the Credulians stared at Rahgar scared stiff and trembling with utter terror. Calcous was surprisingly calm and unfazed throughout the whole conversation. He even smirked, which had Rahgar bordering on strangling the idiot right then and there.

"Good. Very good. Your resolve is most assuring. I will be most impressed if you can not just find what our lord and master seeks, but fending off the mighty Keybladers."

As he turned to leave, he told the commanding Credulian officer, one that wielded a great halberd and wore a horned helm and heavy battle armor, that had come with him, "You will receive orders from Rahgar from now on. I've other matters to attend to at Lord Bayol's request."

As the officer nodded, Calcous added telepathically, "But if he should take this venture far enough as to threaten our most secret plans until they come into fruition, then dispose of him at once." He made sure that last part was one Rahgar could not hear. The officer nodded and took his 'men' to help out the others with their digging and picking.

"Speaking of matters, why aren't you helping me? Surely watching over the fools at insignificant castle is a waste of time." Rahgar said.

"Others are doing that for me. What I do DOES NOT concern you the slightest; only know that it is parallel with what you are doing now: aiding our Lord. That should be enough, yes?"

"...For the moment." As he walked back to the dig site, Rahgar muttered, "Just don't get shot along the way."

Calcous paused a moment. "Better you than me." He responded with a smile and vanished in a portal of darkness.

* * *

With only a few hundred men able to fight, the Keybladers stood tall and side by side with Mulan, Shang, and the three majors Chien-Po, Yao, and Ling. Shang step forward and turned to address the troops.

"Men! We are vastly outnumbered and outgunned against this foe, but we MUST hold the line! With the aid of our new friends, the Keybladers, we have a better chance than before to hold back this accursed tide of monsters and abominations! Stand with us and do your duty to the kingdom! To the Emperor!" He raised his sword to the skies.

The men responded with hoozahs and praises to the Emperor.

"Good speech. Nice and short." Lea muttered.

"I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing, Lea. If we do survive this and gain their support, he will no doubt be a terrific asset to our army." Xion pointed out.

"Assuming the wiz can conjure one." Lea muttered again.

"You doubt him?" Roxas asked.

"Doubt #1: How can you create an army in 30 days strong enough to take on a horde of countless millions? Doubt #2: These guys have man-handled this army here, and their professionals. How can we have any chance?"

"They aren't use to fighting a foe like this, Lea. I know they will eventually have to, but for now, they need our help...unless you feel its pointless to fight, even when you got all fired up to fighting the enemy just now." Xion said.

Lea smirked. "Just testing you two. I feel like someway, somehow, we can win. I just wanted to make sure you two were up for the challenge."

"I know I am." Roxas said.

"As am I." Xion replied.

"Okay then. Enough said." Lea finished, and stared into the distance.

Silence enveloped the whole army for a good minute.

Then another.

And another.

A horn of great length and might sounded off, like death itself had its own tune rung loud and clear. Beyond the clearing, thousands of Credulians marched in tight formations towards the small forces of the Emperor.

"About time." Lea said, and pointed his Keyblade forward. "Ready when you are, General Shang." Roxas and Xion responded in kind.

General Shang nodded, looked and Mulan, smiled, then unsheathed his blade again and ordered, "For the Emperor! CHARGE!"

The brave men of the Middle Kingdom, along with the valiant Keybladers, and ran like madmen into the lines of the Credulians, who seemed puzzled by the enemys' choice of death. Though their first lines broke, their second held fast, and battle was joined soon after.

The fate of the Land of Dragons was to be decided then and now.

* * *

Rahgar was watching the affair from his vantage point on the mountain.

"The fools dare charge? Very bold, yet it matters not. The Credulians will crush them like little pastries."

The halberd-wielding Credulians spoke in his tongue and asked Rahgar if they should press on to the secondary objective while the primary was making progress.

"No. Not yet. I want to have the prize first before we do that. It's noble of you to think ahead, but better to have two birds hit with one stone when the time is ripe than missing one bird entirely with a bad shot. We will continue as planned...unless you feel like there is nothing to do here but sit and wait and instead join the fray down there?"

The Credulian looked oddly at the battlefield below then oddly at Rahgar before asking him if that was an order.

"...Let's say it is...Will you obey it?"

The Credulian pondered long and felt that the battle would be won by them no matter what, so he saluted and took about 600 of the reinforcements from Calcous and ran off to fight. Rahgar chuckled silently as the half-zombie-like creature left.

"The fool...does he honestly believe that I suspect him not of treachery? That Calcous would not order him to take me out should I loosen my tongue too much? So pathetic. If Calcous wishes this to be a test of loyalty, I will pass with flying colors! So, to get rid of a nuisance, I play the fool to the fool to get him killed. Oh, how I do love himself."

He then laughed wickedly into the afternoon.

* * *

The battles before this one went badly. Here, the most accurate word is 'decent.'

Even with the must appreciated aid from the Keybladers Lea, Xion, and Roxas, the advantage was still to the Credulians for numbers and physical might and prowess. The Imperial Army, with what was left of it, could not hold out until the 'pointless' reinforcements arrived.

The more foes Lea struck down, the more fiery his fighting abilities became. Roxas and Xion tried to match me, though they themselves were during pretty good by rookie Keyblader standards. The me of the Middle Kingdom took heart from their allies' form of battle and fought with increased valor and brutality to defend their homeland from these would-be invaders. Mu-Shu was burning them left and right.

"I don't know how much longer we can fight them, general!" Roxas said as he split one Credulian into two sections with one slice from his Keyblade.

"Agreed. Our numbers are already few! Where are those reinforcements?!" Shang cried.

minute later, a horn from behind the Imperial Army was heard. Some extra thousand of imperial soldiers and armed citizens came pouring onto the battlefield. From the opposite direction, the halberd-wielding Credulian came too with an extra 500 'men.'

"Oh, right! Now we're talking. Let's send these guys to the scrap-heap! Hyaaaaahhh!"

"Lea, don't-" Xion began. Too late. Like a man possessed, he tore his way through the ranks of Credulians.

"After you, Xion!" Roxas said coming up from behind her.

"Thanks!" She and Roxas followed after Lea.

"Follow the Keybladers, men! For the emperor, charge!" Mulan said, with Shang and the others right behind her.

In mere minutes, the Credulians were routed and retreated. Cheers came from the imperials. Lea was catching his breath while sitting on a rock.

"Tired already?" Roxas said, leaning on his blade.

"I guess my fuel tank ain't what it was, man. We did good, though."

" Yeah, we did." Xion said.

Mulan and Shang saluted them all. "Without your valiant efforts, even with support, this battle would not have been ours. Your have our most sincere thanks, Shang said.

"Yeah, you guys, rock!" Mu-Shu said.

"Hey, don't mention it. Kicking butt is what we're all about. Right, guys?"

"Whatever you say, Lea." Roxas comment while rolling his eyes.

"Now then. Onto the subject of helping you. I believe-" The General began when Chien-Po, Yao, and Ling interrupted them.

"Sir, one of the scouts noticed that before those things headed west, one of them with a giant halberd came down with reinforcements, but seeing our resolve, split into two; one headed west and the other led by the. uh. 'leader' going north with his troops." Yao reported.

"So, where are they going?" Mulan asked.

"Unknown." Chien-Po said.

"But given the direction the scout said they were taking, I'd say they were taking the mountain path." Ling added.

"Shang?" Mulan asked.

"It's worth a look. Perphaps the culprit behind these attacks is up there."

"We're tagging along with you guys. I suspect one of Bayol's cronies is leading this. I have a few select words for him." Lea got up and started walking.

"Uh, Lea? The mountain's THAT way." Xion pointed to the peak.

Lea grunted. "Sorry. I guess I'm a little..."

"Hyper-active?" Roxas said.

"Ha, ha. Funny. Now, come on."

As the Keybladers began walking with Mulan and Mu-Shu, Shang ordered the trio to take charge of the combined forces of soldiers and civilians and prepared for a attack if one should come while tending to the wounded and reporting to the palace that the danger has passed for now before catching up with the group.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean _'They're coming up here.' _?!" Rahgar roared through the com-link to the head Credulian sent by Calcous. The response from it wasn't pleasant.

"I thought you could handle them! How could you...No! NO! Absolutely out of the question! Our lord wants this done, and done it shall be. Stall them! Distract them! I don't bloody well care how you do it, JUST DO IT! Understood?!...Excellent. Inform me when its done."

The Credulian behind him feared if would go on another burst of anger, but thought best to keep working and not bother him.

"Calcous is more of a fool than I ever thought possible. To think that mangy wimp could actually send someone less qualified than himself to do me in...Actually, the Keybladers are also fools, thinking that they will stop me. If the prize isn't in this location, it's bound to be at another of the dig sites."

"Still..." He pondered something for a brief moment. "...It's best to be prepared, given the circumstances. Men! Finish your work soon. In no more that one half hour, we move to the capital. I need to have some choice words with a certain person of power there..."

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Xion complained, abanother 20 miles from the mountain village. "I'm tired."

"Oooooh, somebody need bed and breakfast?"

"Lea, cut the crap. We fought a big battle just now. we all aren't 100%." Roxas snapped at him.

"Geez, kid. lighten up."

After Xion nearly tumbled over from exhaustion, Roxas decided to piggy-backed her for the remainder of the journey.

"Thanks." She whispered.

"No problem."

"Hey, Kodak moment." Lea imitated a snapshot.

"LEA!"

"Okay, okay...You sure you got her?"

"Trust me, I GOT her." He blushed after realizing he said that a little louder than he thought and the implications of what he had just said. While Mulan and Shang giggled and Mu-Shu took the lead, Xion rested happily on Roxas's back while he snarled at Lea, whistling on like the fool he was.

* * *

"Is the ambush set? Are you sure? Don't play around with me. We're almost done here, and I don't want them screwing it...Well, I imagine you have no sympathy for me if this all goes to rot, but should Lord Bayol discover your had a hand in this folly...Exactly. Keep me posted." Rahgar rubbed his nose until it was red. "New orders! Finish in 15 minutes or you'll be left to feel the wrath of the Keybladers." He told the workers. "Move it!"

* * *

"We'll stop here for a bit." Shang said as they reached the village.

"Finally, a breather." Mu-Shu hit the floor like a brick, not to Shang's amusement.

"I don't imagine they'll be able to go far so high up." He commented.

Mulan walked up behind him. "Let's not underestimate this foe, Shang. Our forces were nearly defeated by them in a matter of minutes. If it hadn't been for General Hong's sacrifice..." She began soberly.

"I know." He patted her on the hand very gently. "I know."

"Okay, lovebirds. Pit-stop." Lea said. He stayed a good distance in front of Roxas (w/ Xion) and behind Shang, Mulan, and Mu-Shu.

"Lea, I swear. One more wise-crack-Just ONE MORE-"

"Let him be, Roxas. He's trying to ignore the carnage around us with something else to distract his mind. He lowered her gently on a haystack. "In fact, I think everybody here is thinking of something else to keep their mind off of everything that has happened. Right?"

Though no one responded, their eyes said 'Yes."

"Well, I'm gonna look for some water. You guys-uh-sit tight." Lea was off.

Whle Mulan and Shang conversed, and Mu Shu was 'out like a light', Roxas sat next to Xion, who was gazing at the sky.

"It's amazing what's happened to us so far, huh? Well, besides to death-defying parts."

"Yeah, it sure has."

"...You ever think about the future, Roxas?'"

"Besides trying to stay alive every day? Sometimes."

She chuckled. "I meant the far future. Like, where you want to be the next few years."

"That's, uh, something weird to be thinking about, Xion. Especially with all that's-"

"Yeah, I know." She and looked at him directly in the eyes. "Still, it's something to think about, right?"

"Well, I guess. Where do you want to be in the next few years...given we're all still alive, that is?"

She smiled, they blushed and rolled her fingers through her hair. "I guess...to be with the person I most care about in this world"

Roxas gulped, already knowing the answer before he asked the question. "R-Really? Whose that?"

She blushed again. "Well..."

Suddenly, metal clashing and battle grunts and cries, mostly from Lea, were heard from a good distance from where they were resting. It woke Mu-Shu.

"What happened?! Did the year of the dragon come already?"

"Mu-Shu! Not now." Mulan said, drawing her sword. Shang, too. Roxas and Xion got up quickly and drew their respective Keyblades.

Half a minute later, there was silence. Dead silence.

"You think Lea's okay?" Xion asked.

"Of course I am. "Deadliest warrior alive" is my middle name." said coming around the corner.

"I though it was "Dark Rescue', Lea." Roxas pointed out.

Lea shrugged. "That, too."

"What happened, Lea?" Shang asked.

He replied by throwing a Credulian head at Shang's feet. "That's the one that had the big halberd. He and about 100 or so of his 'friends' tried to take me by surprise when I was fetching some water. Thing is: Heavy armor is NOT smart for stealth operations. After I took him out and some others, they all bolted up to the mountaintop. Spineless dopes, all of them."

"Maybe we should follow them. I'll bet Ling's guess is correct and their leader IS up there." Xion commented.

"Oh, are we all rested and ready to go into action again?" Lea smirked with Xion giving him the evil eye and going through the village and up the mountaintop trail. "Well, I guess what the lady says goes. Right, general?" Lea said as he went after Xion.

"LEA! COME BACK-Ugh! Your friend, Roxas, is reckless, rude, and insubordinate." Shang angrily said.

"He's always one of the best. Like I said, you get use to it." Then he was off.

"hey, you ain;t starting a butt-whooping without Mu-Shu, people! Wait up, guys!"

"If we are to fight more battle with them, Mulan-"

She patted him on the back. "Like he said, we have to just get use to it."

"I pray the Heavens grant me great patience for that task."

* * *

"Faster, faster. I don't want to leave anything behind." Rahgar instructed his men to pick up the pace. " This place is a dud. I hope the others have netter luck. Where can the blasted thing be?!" He drew his sword and started thrashing it around. "Why can't anything be simple?! SO BLOODY SIMPLE?! If something else goes amiss today, I swear-"

The remainder men led by the halberd-wielding Credulian came running through and pleading fr their lives, telling him that Lea had bested their leader and they were nearly at the site.

Surprisingly, he was calm after their accounts, and laughed afterwards, too.

"Oh, my. Well, one eventual thorn has been pulled out. I am afraid you all are also thorns in my side, too. Your punishment, thus..." From 10 feet away, He swung his sword at them, releasing several flaming boomerangs that cut they all down before evaporating. He turned to the workers. "...is what yours will be if you don't-hurry-UP!"

As the finished packing, the group arrived.

"YOU!" Lea said.

Rahgar grunted but kept his composure with wit. "Why, hello there. Lea. I trust you've been well and fighting well...assuming your 'fire' is actually your stomach going nuts and your rage a medical condition."

"You little-" He charged and swung at Rahgar, but he transported his physical being for one place to another zapping Lea with dark energy.

"Stop this madness, vile villain! You've done nothing but create harm and misery here." Shang said.

Rahgar laughed up a firestorm (if you know what I mean. You don't, then forget it). "MADNESS?!...I suppose that conquering you pathetic little kingdom would be madness to the common man, but I am neither. I am Rahgar Flameheart, Second Prime to the Dark Lord Bayol. I come to conquer to save you all for eternal damnation and destruction."

"Save it, hothead. You've brought that here yourself." Mu-Shu said with confidence.

"Says the wannabe 'dragon.' To think your species has...oh, never mind. It's apparent that you are still blind to the coming darkness...and also to which what I seek is not here. Men! Get going!" They didn't hesitate and got the hell out of there.

After a brief fight, Rahgar backed off.

"I would be thrilled beyond words to end you all right here and now, but I've other pressing engagements to attend to, especially my now-immediate one with your emperor. Ta-Ta!" He was gone in a bright flash of flame and cinder.

"Damnit! He's gone." Lea cursed.

"Was that one of the men you mentioned earlier, Xion?" Mulan asked.

"Yep."

"We don't have time for The emperor is in trouble!" Shang said.

"It might be difficult getting to him...and that's why." Roxas said, standing on a cliff and pointing down to the palace, now surround by many foes. Mulan and Shang were shocked. So was Mu-Shu.

"That's why they all headed west! To throw our forces off and hit us with a surprise attack on the palace. If it falls-" Shang began.

"What'd we do?" Xion asked.

"We fight our way through." Lea said with renewed fire in his mind and body.

"I'd wish we could know more on this Rahgar person...His motives seem elusive." Mulan said.

"Yeah, their whole gang seems that way." Roxas said.

"HEY! I got an idea!"

"Mu-Shu, we're not going blow up a mountain again." Mulan said.

"What? No. Girl, I-look, hear me out. There's been talk of an all-wise and all-knowing hermit who lives up in these mountains. If I remember correctly, his home should be roughly close to this area."

"Mu-Shu, where'd you hear that?" Mulan asked with intrigue.

"Hey, I listen to folk in villages. Don't tell me you haven't heard about this old guy."

"I have, but I always thought to be superstition at best." Mulan replied.

"Me, too." Shang added.

"Well, it's better that asking that Rahgar guy. I'm pretty sure he won't tell us swat." Mu-Shu stated.

Shang thought about it a moment. "I suppose it's worth a shot."

"Wait a minute. Hold the papers. Are you telling me, general, that in order to find out more about that nutcase, we nee to seek out some senile, probaly delusional hermit who lives SOMEWHERE in the mountains while that nutcase does who knows what to the emperor?!" Lea asked.

Shang shrugged. "Yes. Do you have an objection?"

"Me? No, just making sure we weren;t heading off the 'crazy' cliff yet."

"Huh. And...have we?"

"Oh, no. We passed it when that battle began."

"Oh. Well then, how do we found this hermit?" Shang asked to blank responses.

Mu-Shu raised a hand. "I think I know the general area of where to look. Some crazy old man was talking about how'd he met this hermit and where to find him."

"Okay, Mu-Shu. we leave it in your capable hands." Mulan said with Shang's approval.

"And big ones at that." Lea smirked.

"Lea..." Xion reprimanded him.

"Alright. Let's get cracking." Lea said, running down the trail.

"First we come up, now we go down. This is getting ridiculous." Xion stated.

"Maybe, but it's healthy, right?" Roxas smiled and started running off, too.

"Ah, boys! Wait up!" Xion said, right behind Roxas.

"When we get down there, I'll inform the Majors to get the troops straight to the palace. That should distract those monsters and provide us with a window to enter the palace."

"Good idea. Mu-Shu, good luck." With that, they were off.

"Okay, about to get to the bottom of this with the help of a wise man. Now..." He looked left and right, then center. "...uh, crap. What direction did that guy say again? 'Go east to the tallest visible mountain and look for a cave built into the mountain?' Well, shouldn't be too hard to find, with all these moutnains...being...tall...man, how'd I get myself-oh, wait! Did Shang set me up?! That little...okay...keep it together, man. Okay, let's go find a lunatic!"

* * *

While the army dealt with the Credulians outside the palace, the Keybladers, Mulan, and Shang got through the palace only to be ataacked by Credulians within.

After fighting their way through battalions of Credulians, they got through the palace and to the throne room's doors.

As they tried to breach the throne room's doors, Rahgar was attempting to negotiate a 'friendly surrender' with the Emperor, with 10 unconscious guards behind him.

"…and I assure you, your most esteemed Majesty, that you and your subjects will be treated with the utmost courtesy and respect once you sign the document." Rahgar went on, indicating to the parchment the Emperor was reading.

He wasn't pleased with his findings. "I find some failure to support your claim, dark one. For one, it says here we are to 'submit' to the rule of your lord in exchange for 'ultimate protection' against 'foes who would use us' to their own needs."

"Ah, yes. "Submit' is such a strong word. My lord is in no way expecting you to bow at his feet and sing his praises on a daily basis. Moreover, he wants you and all who reside under your rule to live in harmony as you always have."

"Yet the difference is we would give resources and other points of interests to a foreign ruler." The Emperor said defiantly.

Rahgar was getting impatient with the old man. "Don't think your armies can contend with my master's forces. Do you now forget what happened only the other day when my master's armies wiped the floor with yours?" Rahgar realized he was 'breaking the olive branch' and reworked his footsteps. "I am asking nicely so no more unnecessary violence is in order. It would be awful if our hospitable negotiations should come to such an outcome."

The Emperor as calm as ever while listening and reading the parchment, considering that he was, in fact, being forced to submit to Bayol's rule, even with the honeyed expression of 'peaceful talks.' His choices were limited, though, and he was almost finished reading the parchment, so he couldn't hold up Rahgar any longer while his guards and the Keybladers tried to break through.

Unless…

"I'm curious about something, dark one."

"I told you, Your Majesty: My name is Rahgar." He replied with restraining anger.

"Yes, but you are one who is aligned with the darkness, are you not?"

Rahgar scuffed. "Get to the point, Your Excellency."

"You say that your lord and master will sanction protection for anyone who would use us against him. Does that not include the Keybladers? Does that mean they seek to ruin upon us, yet it is ruin I see before me?"

Rahgar was outflanked; the Emperor still had it. "I fail to see-"

"But I do, dark one. I do. The Keybladers are his enemies. You have not said as much, but it is implied since you keep them out of reach of me. Sora has helped us in the past, and now his friends come here to offer us aid and ask for aid return. How can your master declare we are and will be safe when we indeed already are and have been without his 'great aid' around?"

"Foolish man, My master's powers are without equal, without rival. If you choose to side with _them_, then death shall be your reward, and I assure you, the last you will see with those beady eyes is your precious kingdom engulfed in everlasting darkness and ruled under my master's heel."

The Emperor was back where he was now, and no progress seemed to be made from his would-be rescuers. It did seem the foreign one's facts were stated true: the Emperor's armies could not stand against his new foes...not alone, anyway. Still, if he sided with the Keybladers, then they would all very well perish under the horde that the dark one has persistently stated on and on about. This was the most difficult decision he had to make. One way or another, they war officially at war. With whom would be the Emperor's decision and his alone.

"Do I have your answer?" Rahgar asked.

The Emperor looked at the door one more time, sighed deeply, then, with class, torn the parchment up, to Rahgar great displeasure.

"You make me choose death no matter how you put it. So, for my people's sake, I choose to fight and die alongside those who I know with all my heart will aid us however then can and defy your master. **That **is my answer, dark one." The he said ever more coolly, "Satisfied?"

Rahgar drew his sword and slightly pressed it on the Emperor's throat.

"You have no idea what you have done, you old coot." He let the feeling of despair sink in. "Your punishment for this blasphemy is _not_ death, however. I have a far more..._interesting_ method in mind."

Just then, the doors flew open, and the party of Mulan, General Shang, Lea, Roxas, and Xion fell into the throne room.

"Your Highness!" Mulan cried.

"Rahgar! That's the last time you make a fool out of us! You hear me?! YOU'RE DEAD!" Lea thundered across the room.

"Rest assure, hot head, that I have _plenty _of tricks yet up my sleeve. For starters..." He sheathed his sword, grabbed the Emperor, and vanished as he sent a wave of fire towards the others, which Lea blocked with his Keyblade.

"They're gone! No!" Shang said in denial. "I failed the Emperor again."

"No, Shang. We failed the Emperor."

"They could be anyway by now. How will we find them?' Roxas asked.

"I don't think Rahgar left with the Emperor just yet." Xion said. "In fact, I don't really think coming here to gain the Emperor's allegiance was his goal."

"What do you mean, Xion?" Mulan asked.

Xion though for a minute. "Well, when we first ran into him, it seemed like he was looking for something and ordered those zombie things to find it for him. Plus, he said as he was leaving that the Emperor was his immediate goal _after_ we stopped his guys at the mountain peak."

"You know, that actually makes sense, Xion. There's no doubt he did come to get the Emperor on his side, but he always did seem like he was searching for something else, something far more important to him or Bayol than getting the kingdom to join the dark forces."

"What could be so valuable in the kingdom that over-shines the Emperor?" Shan said, getting his grip back.

"That's the million Munny question, Shan." Roxas said, which was quickly followed by confused looks for the General and his girlfriend.

"What's-" Mulan began.

"Don't ask. It's just an expression we...uh...people outside of this world use."

"Oh." Mulan and Shan we still confused but accepted the simple explanation for the moment when a great boom was heard.

"What in the...?" Xion began.

"I think it came from the courtyard. Come on!" Shang ordered, drawing his sword along the way.

"Shang! Wait up!" Mulan said and went after him.

"I think they make a great couple." Xion said.

"I think you diving into la-la land too much, kid." Lea said, knocking her slightly on the hand. "Love is complicated. That's why I stay clear of it."

"Come on, Lea. It's never hurts to love something." He was tempted to say, "Right, Xion?", but he didn't was to upset or embarrass her in front of Lea. Their conversation earlier going up the mountain was still clinging to him like an itch; no matter what he thought of, he couldn't keep his mind away from Xion.

Lea interrupted his brief thoughts. "Yeah? Well, I would _love _it if we could follow those two and make sure they don't get whacked or something along those lines." With Keyblade in hand, he darted off.

"Come on, Roxas. We don't want them to have all the fun, right?" She took off before he could respond. Letting go of temporal concentration on the dilemma he was trying to unravel all day, he followed her.

_I hope Mu Shu finds something soon, _Roxas thought.

* * *

If Mu Shu had found anything while climbing up to the shrine that stood at the top of the mountain, it was the mountain was just too damn high as he attempted to plow through the snow. Even his fire had little effect since there was so much.

"Why did I even volunteer for this job?! I bet Old Man Winter is sitting atop his big ol' chair, chewing on delicious goodies, while i'm freezing my tail off trying to get to him!" Mu Shu said through huffs and puffs, then got belted with some flying snow. His fury let out a great stream of fire.

"THAT DOES IT! When I get to Jolly Ol' Snowman's cozy cave or whatever he lives in, he'll be getting a good licking from Mr. Guardian of the Hero of China!"

Some minutes later, he arrived at a cave, where a cloaked figure stood alone praying to a golden idol with four hands. A worn wooden table with a makeshift stone chair was about 10 feet to his right. A medium-sized chest was to his left.

"Hey, you with the rug on ya! Have you seen a big fat priest who supposed to be all-wise and knowing around here?"

The figure ceased his chanting, turned to the small red intruder, and gazed upon the lizard with hard gold eyes under his hood.

"Who dares confront that who is the almighty Shao-Hu?!" The voice under the hood said. He lifted his hood and revealed his form; face was half-covered by a mask with a depiction of a tiger, while the uncovered half was full of scars, scratches, and a bale eye.

"Whoa! Dude, you need to see a beauty specialist or something. It might do you good."

"What good? No comes up here so what need do I have to be properly dressed or for that matter courteous to strangers and intruders?" He turned away to the idol again. "What reason would a half-wit, glory-hunting, so-called guardian of a girl who got lucky defending China with the help from others beyond this world need to come and visit 'Old-Man Winter' up in the least hospitable and inhabitable of places in all the known world?"

"HEY! I resent that! I'm smart! I am not a glory-hunter! And my girl managed to do just fine, thank you, even if we got some help! What's wrong with that?"

"I suppose nothing...yet everything is wrong with it." His chuckle lasted a whole 8 seconds. "I suppose you've come to know more about Rahgar and the 'men' he commands?"

"So you are all-wise and knowing. Is there _anything_ you can't do?"

There was a moment of pause for slight embarrassment. "I can't make Won Ton Soup. Can you?"

"Yeah, the stuff ain't too bad to make. You have to-wait a minute. I thought you were going to tell me how to give Mr. Fire and his cronies the kick outta here." Mu Shu said in frustration.

The hermit thought for a bit before he answered. "That depends on your offering."

"My...what do I look like to you? A copper coin vault keeper?"

"The currency of the realm holds very little interest for a hermit like myself. Well, it used to. Then the taxes rose and...forget that. There has to be something..._more_...from your end."

Mu Shu gulped. "Uh, would you care to elaborate on that, good wise man?"

Shao-Hu smiled wickedly at the lizard, then out of nowhere, pulled out a bowl and spoon. "Can you teach my how to make how to make Won Ton Soup? I'm been starving here for years on only bamboo sprouts and fried rice."

Mu Shu fainted. The hermit coughed as if checking on his breath to see if it was awful or something.

* * *

They searched the open fields. The campsite where the Emperor's soldiers were defeated. The path up to the mountain village. No sign of Rahgar or the captive Emperor was caught or noticed from the Keybladers and Mulan and Shan.

"Now do you agree with me that they could be off-world by now?" Roxas said to Lea and Xion while panting.

"Well, we looked everywhere." Lea said in forced agreement despite what he wanted to believe.

"What if they didn't leave the palace? Or rather Rahgar didn't want to leave just yet? As Xion suggested, if he was looking for something, then he wouldn't just leave."

Lea was catching on. Not happily, though. "Please tell me you are not seriously suggesting that Rahgar would want us to go on a wild head hunt just to mess with us."

"You may have just answered your own question, Lea." Xion said.

Lea was steamed now if he wasn't before. "Okay, then." he drew his Keyblade in rage. "Everybody stay our of my way. This so-called 'Master of Fire' is going to get a big dose of his own medicine. " He went off back to the palace grounds.

"Your companion is a great warrior, but I fear his temper may get the better of him." Shang observed.

"Yeah...you get use to it." Roxas said with a nodding agreement from Xion. Together, then ran back to the palace.

* * *

Lea's perceptive was unfortunately right when he arrived with the others behind him. There was Rahgar, right smack dab standing in the middle of the palace grounds, s holding the Emperor close to him with his sword pressed 'gently' on his throat.

"I told you I had more tricks up my sleeve, Lea. It's amazing how you can fool even the 'mighty' Keybladers. I can't begin to tell you how _easy _it was to 'make' you go around the whole world before you realized I hadn't left the palace at all."

"So why are you still here? Did you forget something?" Lea inquired with growing rage.

Rahgar frowned. "No. Rather, I am waiting for something, which I won't indulge you with. You suspicions are correct; I am need in search for something else besides the Emperor's loyalty. Locating it has been...harder that I previously anticipated or planned."

"Let go of the Emperor! Now!" Mulan ordered, drawing her sword.

"Or what?"

"Or you get the worse butt-kicking you can imagine." Roxas said to Lea's surprise as well as others.

"I thought that was my line." Lea said with a smile.

"Yeah. Well, I wanted to try it for once."

"No offense, buddy, but you have plenty of work ahead of you before you master that."

"Ahem." Rahgar said to get their attention. "Sorry to interrupt 'How to taunt you Opponent' time, but as you see, I have the Emperor at my mercy, so _I_ will make the smart-ass comments, thank you very much. Objections? No? Good."

"So why hold him? It's like he's not worth the trouble, like he isn't what you came here for." Xion said with fire in her voice.

Rahgar twitched a bit. 'No, I suppose not. But...as long as I have the old man in my custody, _you all _ will do _exactly_ what I tell you to do. And you, young Xion; what's makes you think you know what I am up to? What's makes you think I seek something here other than the Emperor's loyalty?" He waited for a response. When nothing came out of her mouth, he continued. "I though as much. You think I seek something else. Allow me to ease your mind; I _am_ in search for something of far more value to me and my master. Too bad you won't find out what-"

He didn't finish, for right then and there a most unusual sound was heard, something like a boom from a far off distance accompanied by a combination of what a scream and a yell would sound like. The blazing object came closer and closer and then landed right between the heroes and the dark servant of Bayol. The smoke cleared to reveal Mu Shu cracking his back. There were fragments of a red color all around him.

"The easy way, he said, huh? Well, that is the _last _time I ever in my life take the Easy Express that involved me being shot like a firework." He then examined his surroundings. "What's going on here? Did I miss kick-ass night yet?"

"No, Mu Shu. We haven't started yet." Lea said.

"Oh, good." He then turned in the direction of the Emperor and Rahgar while he was dusting himself off, then recognizing who the evil man was, pointed his tiny finger at him. "YOU! You, sir, are going doooowwwwnnn!" He flexed what muscles he had (if any). "I know what you want here, and let me tell you here and now, you ain't getting it!"

Rahgar seemed confused while holding back his worry.

"Mulan, what did you learn from the wise one on the mountain?" Mulan asked.

"Okay, my favorite woman in the world, let me tell you this; I see don't know why anyone would want to live on top of a mountain while living on bamboo sprouts and other measly foods for who knows how long. What he made me do (He spat out his tongue in disgust) didn't help when I got there, but what I find out was definitely worth it..."

* * *

"Mmmm. Good soup. Tasty. Very tasty indeed."

"Okay, man. I made you dinner like you asked. Now tell me what you know."

"Patience. I haven't finished yet, little lizard." Shao-Hu took his time with the soup while Mu Shu paced back and forth.

"Your anxiety is starting to bug me, little lizard."

"Hey, man! This is a matter of life and death!"

Shao-Hu inspected the soup. "Are you trying to kill me?"

"What? No! I-you-we-them-it's not about the soup! It's about Rahgar and his 'I want the world' invasion thingy going on here." He imitated Rahgar like a big, lousy jerk.

"Oh. That. I see..." He finished the soup before getting up and kneeling before the idol again. "I know this Rahgar man is corrupted by a dark entity. He possesses powers unlike anything we have ever seen before, even with Shan-Yu and his...Heartless, I believe. His 'soldiers' are undead, yet their movements, their minds are not as much undead as what a typical zombie would be. Interesting..."

"But what does he _want_?! What does he wish for here?' Mu Shu pleaded to Shao-Hu who stopped his whining with a hand to his face.

"Let us find out, shall we?" He began to praying in the tongue of the Chinese, yet it was not the popular dialect; more like a nomadic dialect, as it was. The golden idol began to hum with energy and glow. Then, it spoke with a rich, hard voice.

"_Darkness has come to the land of peace, the one with the blade of flame will prepare for his master's feast. The source of his power is shrouded to me, but what he wants here, his possession it must not be. The thunder of our dragons is the prize he does crave, but his purpose for something sacred is illusive to the brave. The time has come for warriors far and wide, to bear arms and prepare for the storm, for the tide." _The voice dies off and the idol ceased glowing and humming. All was silent now.

"What the-what was _that_ all about from whoever that was in the idol god...thing...statue? What was that?!"

"That, Mu Shu, was a warning, that told you what you need to know."

Mu Shu still was not satisfied, but thought about what he had just heard.

"The voice said something about a thunder of dragons. What would he want with a flock of dragons? There aren't that many around here, to begin with."

"True, my little friend. Very true. Perhaps we must dive deeper in this mystery. A _thunder_ of dragons..." Shao-Hu and Mu Shu thought long and hard for a good 10 minutes or so until Shao-Hu broke the silence. "It would be my best guess that what the spirit of the shrine said meant the power of the dragons."

"Power? What are...how can you say that? I mean, dragons don't have any thunder. Thunder is the sound after lightning...right?"

"I do not believe the spirit meant a forecast, Mu Shu. There is thunder in all of us; 'Thunder' is what gives us our backbones, our fortitude. It is strength that is called 'thunder' here."

"But what would Rahgar want with the strength of dragons?"

"What indeed?" Shao-Hu groaned while rubbing his head. "I sense Rahgar has taken the Emperor hostage. You must go to your friends and warn them of what we learned."

"Right away." Mu Shu turned to go when he noticed the snowstorm had not stopped. He tapped his fingers nervously. "Uh, Shao-Hu, old boy? Is there by any chance another way off this mountain without going through that there storm?"

Shao-Hu took a short look at the storm and chuckled. "My dear friend, there is no way to avoid _that_." Mu Shu sighed but he old wise man didn't stop there. "There _is _a way, though, to get down the mountain _faster._ That is...well, actually, there's _two_ ways."

"Really?"

"Mmm-hmm. There's an easy way..." He cracked his knuckles. "...and a _hard_ way."

"Uh...what's the easy way?" Mu Shu said in a semi-panic mode way of speech.

"Well, if you insist..." He walked to the chest, opened it, pulled out something wrapped in cloth and closed the chest and walked back to Mu Shu.

"Ever have the urge to fly, Mu Shu?" Shao-Hu said in a calm tone.

"Sure, lots of times." He eyed the wrapped cloth suspiciously. "Why?"

"Well, wish granted."

"Huh?"

Unwrapping the cloth revealed a good-sized red firework and some string. He grabbed Mu Shu with his spare hand, tied him the firework with the string, and drove the platform the firework was laid across on into the ground, pointing it right at the snowstorm.

"Hey! What is this?!"

"You said you wanted the easy way, which meant you wanted to get down there as quick as possible, right?"

"Yeah, but this is nuts, man! I could crash before I flew 70 feet, man!"

"No, you won't. That firework is composed with a very special powder. I bought it from a merchant a long time ago. He said I must you it when the time is right. No time has come until now. Hopefully it is as accurate as what the guy told me."

"What?!" Mu Shu yelled. "This thing has a warranty, right?"

"Yeah, sure...about 300 years ago." Shao-Hu said the last part under his breath. "Now, we need a match..."

"What's the matter with you?! Don't you know never to buy fireworks without matches?!"

Shao-Hu ignored the comment and found a stick under his table.

"This should do. Now...um..." He looked around for something, then turned to the 'captive' Mu Shu still struggling to get free. "You wouldn't by chance mind breathing on this, would you?"

"Yes, I mind!"

"Oh. Okay then." He slapped Mu Shu, who in his rage breathed fire right at Shao-Hu, who ducked but raised his stick high which got a good deal burned but a manageable flame was lit. "Thank you for your support, my friend. Now, it's off to the palace for you."

Mu Shu went on a rant right then and there. "Wait man. I take that back. I hate flying. I have asthma...and carpal tunnel. Heights aren't one of my favorite things, man! It's scary, up in those skies with all those nasty birds that could dump on you any chance they get. Heck, I could die on the way there, you know? Then my girl Mulan would find you and give you a big whole can of whooping, then whatcha donna do, hmm? What then?"

"Mu Shu..." Shao-Hu began with the stick just an inch away from the fuse.

"Yeah?! WHAT?!"

Shao-Hu smiled. "Don't keep you mouth on the way. It could get damaged. See you." He lighted the fuse and backed away and waved goodbye.

"If I see you again, you old sneaky toad, I promise you, as a guardian of the Fa Family, I will-"

The firework 's bottom burst with magnificent explosive wonder and like a bullet shot Mu Shu right into the storm, while Shao-Hu returned to his meditation.

* * *

"So...you know what I am after then. Apparently the rumors of a wise old man living on the mountaintop were not false after. I'll have to take care of him after I'm done with you all." Rahgar said after Mu Shu completed his narrative.

"The strength of dragons..." Shan whispered.

"What do you what with it?' Roxas asked.

"None of your damn business! What my master wants with it...well, he wants it, so I will get it for him!" Rahgar yelled back at Roxas.

"You mean...you don't even know what Bayol wants with this 'thunder'? What kind of loyal servant are you?" Lea asked.

"Silence, you fool! My master's intentions may be...unbeknowst to me now, but whatever the case, he desires it, so get it he will!" Rahgar yelled at the top of his lungs. Then, in a more relaxed tone, "Besides, what can you do when I have your monarch's life in my hands?"

At that moment, a great roar was heard in the skies, which its clouds were transforming in thunderclouds. Rahgar looked up to the wicked sky with a display of great, sickening pleasure.

"At last, it finally came out. I knew my advanced guard would take care of the job. I'm sure though that they perished. A pity, but nothing more."

"Wait a minute..." Xion thought a moment. " Are you telling us that your fiends on the mountain were decoys?!"

"In a way, yes. I mean, that was one of the sites where one of the dragons was spotted; there were others that I had my 'fiends' look into. It would appear they found the 'goldmine,' if you will."

"You sneaky little prick. You've been playing us like a fiddle since we came here." Lea stated furiously.

Rahgar snickered. "More or less. The battle was meant to see how truly rash and reckless you are were. As I said earlier, it was easy to 'mislead' you all into going in circles to find me. It took a little bit more effort to keep you all distracted from my plans, though. Still, luring you all to go any way I choose is like breaking a stick. So easy."

"Why you-" Lea was going to charge if Roxas and Xion didn't restrain him.

"Temper, temper, Lea." Rahgar taunted. He stopped cold when he noticed something amiss with the assembly. "Hey, where'd the little red snake go?" OOWW!"

Mu Shu bit him on the leg, causing Rahgar to relinquish control of the Emperor who fell down and was aided by Shang and Mulan. Rahgar sent Mu Shu flying right into a wall and was going to attack Mulan and had not the three young Keybladers blocked his strike with his flaming sword and pushed him back. The roar of the dragon was getting closer.

"Okay, then. So you _really_ want to play it the hard way, do ya? Fine!" Sheathing his sword, his spread out his hands, which became engulfed in a torrent of crimson flame, and while chanting in the Credulian tongue, the earth beneath the palace shook. Just then three soldiers-Chien Po, Yao, and Ling- came racing through the main entrance.

"Hey! We'd beat 'em. What did we-Whoa!" Yao said while trying to keep his balance from the earth shaking.

"What's going on?" Ling cried.

Xion looked back to the trio and then to Mulan "Mulan! Shang! Get the Emperor out of her. and take you friends with you. And don't forget Mu Shu! You can't help us with this fight! He's too powerful for you guys!"

"What about you three? Can you handle him?" Shang asked in doubt.

Lea smiled. "Piece of cake. Now, beat it. We got this." He said while Mulan went to grab Mu Shu and General Shang escorted the Emperor and the three soldiers out of the palace exterior.

As they drew the respected battle stances, Rahgar's chanting grew into an echo. Its volume rose higher and higher until, out of the blue, the earth stopped moving, and the flames parted to reveal Rahgar himself literally on fire. A few seconds past, and another torrent of flames took him over. Some 10 or 12 seconds later, a creature of flame, with four hands wielding four very different but equally huge swords made of pure fire, was standing right in front of the Keybladers, with Rahgar inserted in the center of the being. A most peculiar symbol was embedded on its forehead.

"Now, where were we?" He said and from the mental movements of Rahgar, the creature swing his swords on the right hands and narrowly missed the trio, with the blades leaving small craters where they strike.

"Lea, you're the fire expert. What_ is_ that thing?!" Roxas yelled to Lea, for they had been spread out with Lea to the right of the fire monstrosity and Xion and Roxas to it left.

"How should I know?! I could _never_ do that!" Lea said while he dodged a swing of one of the blades.

"We have to flank it and look for a weak spot." Xion suggested.

"Right. Lea, on three. One...two...Go!"

Together, the three jumped high with their Keyblades pointed straight at the thing's head while it swung its blades forward.

* * *

"It would seem Rahgar is having a bit of fun with the Keybladers." Bayol said to Calcous while observing the confrontation in his crystal ball.

"I believe that I will have great pleasure in seeing Rahgar getting his backside kicked around."

"You and me both...but where is that blasted flying, scaly reptile whose power I am after?" Bayol said with a hint of anger and a brush of impatience.

"My lord, Rahgar may be a bit on the over-reactive side of things, but-I can't believe I'm saying this-I strongly believe he will get the job done."

Bayol shifted an eyebrow up. "Why rush to his defense of a sudden? I thought you disliked him..intensely, I might add."

"I do. I just want him to succeed so that you are pleased and thus I can devise a plan to top what he's been doing with our enemies."

"And how do you plan to 'fool' the other Keyblades? They are more experienced than this group, and will be much tougher to deal with."

Calcous smiled. "Let me worry about the details, my lord."

Bayol nodded and gazed back to his crystal ball. "It would seem all their stamina is draining faster than I anticipated. A most curious development. This could...oh...oh no..."

"My lord. What's the matter?"

Bayol facial features tensed up. "I told Rahgar to perfect his creation with as few limitations as possible! It would seem the girl found his weakness..." His palm slammed against the left armrest of his throne. "Curses!"

* * *

Trying to run away and dodge Rahgar's fiery beast was getting tiresome for the Keybladers. Roxas was attending to Lea who got cut on the lower half of his left leg while trying to move away from a swinging blade, and Xion barely one step ahead of the swinging swords.

"We can't...keep this up, Lea." Roxas said while lifting Lea.

"No kidding, Roxas." Lea responded.

"Hold still, you little brat." Rahgar said.

Xion was trying to figure out how to this thing. Conventional fighting was not effective. Their magic wasn't a big help either. There had to be some way to bring this monster down. Someway had to exist...

Then, as Xion dodged and rolled behind the monster, for a moment, she saw that way.

Rahgar had the front of the creature so fortified and bulked up in the front that the Keyblade barely made any dents. The back was the same way, except for the neck area.

"That's it!' Xion cried.

"That's what?" Rahgar said, concerned.

Mustering her remaining strength, Xion jumped on the back of the fire monster and drove her Keyblade right into the exposed back area of the neck, to the screams of both Rahgar and his abomination and to the surprise of Roxas and Lea. The Monster of Dark fire jerked back to get Xion off of it. She was eventually launched into the pavement, straining her back while burning her arms for her driving her Keyblade into its hide and it being of fire, but the damage was done. The creature screeched and screamed back and worth while sections of it was exploding off. Xion slowly got up.

"Now!" Xion said.

"Right!" Roxas answered back.

She, Roxas, and Lea, under his own power, pointed their Keyblades at the mortally wounded monsters of fire, and shot three rays of light at it while Rahgar screamed, knowing he had been beat. the rays faded away, the creature screeched once more and just fell apart, its fire vanishing, but the damage it caused to the palace did not. Rahgar panted heavily, his hair scorched and body smoking. He was greatly bruised and battered, but not broken. Lea leaned on Roxas to gain a little more balance.

"You just...don't know...when to...give up...do you, you...little brats?" He said while pausing for air, and then collapsed. As Xion fell, Roxas rushed to her to ensure she was okay while Lea yelled back at him as he fell over. Roxas rubbed away a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"You okay, Xion?" He asked.

She smiled and gently caressed his cheek. "I am now." Roxas blushed and smiled.

"Okay, ignore the other friend over here, lying on the ground with a busted up leg, while you two play 'Young Love' over there." Lea said with half his smile in the ground.

Roxas smiled and pulled Xion up and they both went to pull Lea up.

"Well done, you three. It would seem Sora was wise to send you to us." The Emperor said, accompanied by Mulan, Shan, Mu Shu, Chien-Po, Yao, and Ling.

"Yeah! You guys sure kicked him where it hurt, just like I knew you would." Mu Shu said.

"I thought we told you guys to get out of here." Lea stated, still in a lot of pain, with both Roxas and Xion holding him up.

"We wanted to make sure you were...well, alive." Mulan admitted.

Lea studied his bruised body and that of Xion's and Roxas's. "Well, we're still standing, so I think were good."

The dragon had not roared or shown itself while the fighting was going on...until now. A thunderous roar hook the skies...and a dragon, and velvet scaled dragon flew over them to their shock and delight. Rahgar had gained consciousness when the beast roared. "Finally..." He whispered, while painfully grabbing an empty vial from his inside leather shirt pocket while the party was distracted with the dragon.

"Our dragons are great beasts and wonders. It is indeed a rare thing to see one, even with all that has happened." the Emperor.

"I still don't get while Rahgar disrupted its sleep, What would his master what with its 'thunder'?" Mulan asked.

"Beats me." Lea said.

"THIS!" Rahgar yelled to everybody's surprise. He pushed them pushed with a wave of flame, though nobody was burned, then summoned a flaming spear, threw it with great might at the dragon, which struck it right in the area where its heart would generally be.

"NO!" Mulan and Xion cried.

Though the spear did not puncture the heart of the dragon by some miracle, it did draw a good deal of blood as it flew away. Rahgar raced after a few falling drops blood with what strength he could afford and caught them with the vial. He sent another wave of flaming magic at the group but Lea, Roxas, and Xion blocked it with their own remaining power.

"Now, for the finishing touch..." Rahgar said cruelly.

He pulled out another vial from his pants pocket, this one half full with a dark liquid in it. He popped opened it lid with his thumb and poured a few measly drops of the liquid into the blood, then close the vial with his thumb and put it back in his pocket, and close the other vial. He stirred the vial to combine both the dragon's blood and the dark liquid, and suddenly electrical pulses went off inside the vial.

"As my master commands, so shall it be done..." He looked to the ensemble and smiled, then groaned. "While it would please me to no end to take you all out now, due to my fatigued state of being, I cannot. So I will let you all go this time. Remember my warning, old man. Dark times are ahead." Then, in a torrent of fire, he vanished.

As they all got up, they looked to the Emperor with a need of clarification.

"What did he mean, sire?" Ling asked.

"He warned me of choosing the wrong side...but that side is where he is aligned with. Young Keybladers..." Mulan motioned them to bow, which they did, though Lea was a little embarrassed. "...I still know not why that vile creature of a man wanted with that dragon's blood, not my allegiance. For better or worse, we are now involved in your war. You saved us from siding with the darkness, so let us repay you; we will join you in the fight against this menace."

"Thank you, your Majesty.' Xion stated with pride.

"There are some things we need to discuss though, Your Majesty...like transportation..." Roxas began.

"Say what? " Mu Shu asked.

* * *

Rahgar knelt opposite of Calcous in front of Bayol, aching and silently moaning from the beating at the hands of Xion, Roxas, and Lea.

"You look like hell, Rahgar. I trust our good Keybladers treated you with hospitable intentions." Bayol sarcastically stated without humor. Calcous half-smirked.

"I fail to see any pleasure from my humiliation, my lord."

Bayol rose gracefully. "Indeed. However, it would have been **more** of a humiliation had you not succeeded in your primary task." He reached out his hand. "You **do** have it, yes?"

With his crippled hand, Rahgar dug into an interior pocket in his torn mail shirt and pulled out a vial with electrical bolts flashing and buzzing around, and presented it to Bayol. "As you requested, milord: The Thunder of China's Dragons."

"Ah. At long last." He accepted it with a most careful approach. "The great 'thunder' of dragons. Well done, Rahgar. Well done."

As Bayol gazed wondrously at the vial, Calcous whispered to Rahgar, "Good thing you didn't loss it on your way here, otherwise the beating you took was just for my own pleasure."

"Keep talking and the word 'beating' won't suffice to what I will put you through." Rahgar snapped back in fury.

""If you two keep talking, I'll put you both through the worse ass-kicking known to Credulians." After the moment of their immediate silence, Bayol then drew his attention to a cloister fountain he arose from the ground.

"My lord, forgive my curiosity, but you have yet to tell us what you desire with this 'thunder'…let along with the earth and the water from our previous endeavors." Calcous said in a cornered tone.

Bayol chuckled like a parent chuckles to child when they don't understand something.

"Patience, Calcous. Patience. I promise the trouble these have been…" He summoned with dark waves of magic the flask of Atlantean water and earth from the Pride Land. "…will be worth it in the end. It will take time for what I plan to come to fruition, so while I wait for the moment, let me ask you two a most intriguing question."

He turned to them with a very sinister and yet subtle gleam in his eyes. Oh, those eyes of his.

"What is better than 3 servants of darkness, one being more powerful than the rest of the class, which, of course, is me?"

They couldn't answer for the hunchback creature stumbled into the throne room.

"Lord Bayol. I bring y-you ne-news."

"Have you located the other parties?"

"One of t-them. The other three are st-still being tracked as w-we sp-speak."

Bayol stared directly at Calcous. "We'll finish this later. Calcous, you're up. Don't disappoint me, and remember your target."

"Yes, milord."

"Tell me how your whooping goes when you come back on a stretcher." Rahgar moaned with hurtful laughter. Calcous replied by tapping at his ear and departing. The hunchback did not.

"Is there something else you wish to inform me of, Ružan? Has Alnor done anything new with his 'army', perhaps?"

The creature sneezed then began: "It is n-not Alnor that i-is the immediate….uh…situ-situation now."

"Then what is?"

"Our sc-scans have spo-spotted so-some…acqua-acquaintances of t-the Keybladers."

Bayol lifted an eyebrow. "Allies?"

"N-N-No, my lord. Enemies. We pic-picked u-up…v-very d-dark magic. _H-Her _m-magic, milord."

Bayol and Rahgar looked at one another in astonishment.

"Do you suppose, milord, that—"

Bayol lifted a hand. "She has minimal power now. She is a no threat to us, or to the Keybladers for that matter. Even her prime henchman is a buffoon by all rights. A despicable creature she has as her first. Still…" He pondered a thought. "I wonder, though, if she would be interested to…return to her… former post."

"Lord?" Rahgar questioned.

Bayol was already on the move. "Ružan! Send out an envoy with as much hospital intention as can be handled with them and guide them here. Rahgar! Inform the good admiral to expect so 'guests' coming to the castle soon. I have some work to finish up…"


End file.
